Trusting The Lord
Southaven, Ms
By: Mike Upchurch
I was talking with some drag racing friends the other day, and we were musing how nostalgia racing has become prominent within the sport, with emphasis placed on the older cars and stars of drag racing’s infancy. Looking back to their roots is the theme of this month’s 50th Anniversary of the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida. There are entire events across the country each year dedicated to nostalgic forms of racing and they are hugely popular.
The reasons are varied I suppose as to why we love nostalgia, but there is a concrete truth that lies hidden within our looking back. It applies to any form of nostalgia, whether it be in racing or music or clothing or anything else in our culture. That truth is this….. our memories are all we have, and we passionately embrace our favorites.
We love to look back. We don’t have tomorrow. We don’t know what’s out there. We do know what’s lies behind, and if our world is not all that pleasant currently, we might longingly look back to a better time, at least in our mind’s eyes. We have no problem looking back, but sometimes looking forward is unnerving. Which brings us to today’s topic of trusting the Lord.
Webster defines trust as “assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something.” For a Christian, that someone should be the Lord, of course. But still, we do fear the future sometimes. Perhaps we fear not having enough finances, or we fear losing our jobs, or maybe losing our health. Maybe we worry over our children’s future. But to be fair there is a difference between being wise in planning ahead, versus constantly wringing our hands while being filled with worry. Why do we live in fear of tomorrow in some respects? Why is it so hard to trust God for our future? Why do we think God CAN’T be trusted? The reason may have far more to do with what we think of ourselves, rather than what we think of the Lord. We KNOW that He is capable! We know that He can heal. We know that He can open doors, and we know that He can provide! But will He do that for US? The struggle is real!
We may feel unworthy. We may feel we don’t deserve His blessings or favor or touch. He’s a loving God who forgives us for what we do, but He probably doesn’t forget. We think that. We think He remembers our sins and because of that we’re not worthy. After all, who are we, and how dare we ask God for anything?
I’ll tell you who we are. We are His! We are His children. We are His misfit, broken, and at times useless children. And He loves us! Just like we love our children no matter what they do. We might be disappointed in them or angry with them, but we NEVER stop loving them! And God never stops loving us! And for the record, He doesn’t remember our confessed sins! They’re forgiven and forgotten!
In order for us to accept that the promises of the Lord are for us, we must first understand the promises in the word are administered by a perfect and holy Lord. He can’t lie. He can’t be wishy washy. He can’t be immature. He can’t be pouty. He is not like us and He is far above us! He is GOD! And His promises are yes and amen through Christ!
“For as many as are the promises of God, in Him (Christ) they are yes; therefore also through Him is our amen to the glory of God through us.”2 Corinthians 1:20
We must say amen to His promises! We must learn to BELIEVE! We must believe He loves us. We must believe His word is true. We must believe His word is true for US! And we must receive!
I’ve shared this analogy before, but let’s say I offer you a car. A very good car with absolutely no strings attached. I simply tell you it’s at my house and you must come and pick it up. So when exactly is it your car? Is it your car while still titled and tagged to me and in my possession? No. It only becomes your car when I sign it over to you and you take possession of it. You must put the car’s title in your name and THEN it becomes yours. It’s no different in the Kingdom. Nothing is yours until you take possession of it and receive it for your very own. You must put those promises in your name! His salvation freely offered wasn’t yours until you believed it was for you, and you started proclaiming it. That is what you must do with ANY of the promises God has made! You must believe them, receive them, take ownership of them, and possess them. THEN they becomes yours. King Solomon said this about trusting the Lord…..
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.”Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT
You must trust Him with ALL your heart! Sold out, unwavering, steadfast trust! Trust Him that He is telling you the truth about promises He has made. Trust Him that His promises are for you!
And trust Him that He will bring them to pass for you! As the old hymn says, “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way!”
And that’s the way I see it!
Pastor Mike
