In order to trust in God, we have to realize that it can’t be just spoken words. Saying that you trust in God and really doing it is two different things! In order to understand what trust looks like, let’s consider some examples of people who truly trusted in God.
Noah – Genesis 6 & 7.
In chapter 6, we have the account of the flood. (Read verses 5 – 8). The Lord was about to bring a huge flood and destroy everything upon the earth yet one man out of the entire population at that time found favor in the eyes of the Lord, and that man was Noah! Why? What was so special about Noah? (Verse 9).
Noah walked with God! And if Noah walked with God, then that must mean that Noah trusted God! We can see proof of Noah’s trust. The Lord gave instructions to Noah on how to build an ark in preparation of the great flood He was about to bring on the earth. What did Noah do? (vs 22). Noah didn’t just obey God, he completely trusted in God. He didn’t question anything; he just did it!
After that, God commanded Noah to load into the ark many different animals both male and female and then his family also. What did Noah do? (Gen 7:5) Again, Noah did as God commanded and he trusted in God and in everything that God had told him. He trusted that this ark that God had told him to build would save his life.
Imagine what it must have been like to see Noah building the ark. Think of how many people who must have been watching. They most likely laughed at him, telling him how crazy he was, yet he continued. He didn’t have a complete understanding of everything that was about to happen. In the face of ridicule and mockery he didn’t stop building that ark and he did everything that God told him to because he trusted Him.
And what did trust in God do for him? (Read verses 21 to 23). Noah trusted in God and lived, he and all his family who were with him, eight people in all. He lived because he trusted in the Lord! He didn’t just say he trusted God; his actions said that he did! Let’s look at another man who trusted God.
David – 1st Samuel 17
David was the youngest of eight brothers and was chosen by God to be king. We can read about David in 1 Samuel, chapters 15 and 16. However, we will look at chapter 17 where we read about David’s battle with Goliath.
Goliath was no ordinary man. (Read verse 4). At nine feet tall… he was a big man! Verse 5 tells us that his armor alone weighed about 125 pounds. Imagine having to carry that much weight on your body and how quickly you would be exhausted. Goliath was so big and scary that Saul and the Israelites were terrified. They were trembling in absolute fear when he faced them at the Valley of Elah.
Their fear was apparent – in verse 11. They were afraid just to hear his voice! (Read verses 22 to 24). So, you can see that even though there were many Israelites, they were too frightened of Goliath to face him. All except David, that is. David had both seen and heard Goliath, yet he wasn’t afraid. (Read verse 32).
David was eager to take on the challenge that no one else wanted. David didn’t run away from this threat like the Israelites. (Read verses 45 to 47). He had confidence and trust in God and wasn’t scared of anything, even though many doubted that he could win. Verse 33 indicates that king Saul didn’t believe that David had a chance. He was just a boy, a shepherd who watched over his father’s sheep, and Goliath was a warrior. Yet, David trusted God completely to guide him to victory!
And like Noah, what did trust in God do for David? (Verses 50 – 51). A mere boy was able to defeat that giant warrior with just a sling and a stone!
The Philistines ran away in terror. Why? Because they trusted in a man named Goliath who had died before their very eyes at the hands of David who trusted in God Almighty! David was rewarded with a great victory, against a powerful foe, because of his trust!
Daniel – Daniel 6.
In chapter 6, we read about Daniel and how he was a very respected and trustworthy man! He was such a good man that King Darius, who was ruling at this time, had made Daniel an administrator, which was a very high-ranking position. The King had even intended to put Daniel in charge over his whole kingdom! (Verses 3 and 4). In fact, Daniel was such a good man that these other administrators and satraps, who were jealous of his high standing with the King, wanted to find some dirt on him so to speak but couldn’t because there wasn’t any! They just couldn’t find anything bad to say about Daniel! So, what did these men do? They tried to find a way to trap him! (Verses 5 – 9).
The administrators and satraps knew that Daniel was faithful to God. They knew that he would not stop praying to God even though this new decree had been passed and was written into law. Daniel did exactly what they thought and were hoping he would do! (Vs. 10). The only thing left for these men to do was to tell the King, which, of course, is exactly what happened in the next few verses. (11 – 13).
We find the King’s reaction in verse 14. When the King understood the trap that was set for Daniel, he tried everything to help him because he was very fond of him, but was bound by the law! Daniel would have to be thrown into the lion’s den for breaking the king’s decree. If that weren’t enough, verse 15 says that these same deceitful men approached the King and reminded him that he had put this law in writing. (Vs. 16-17).
The King didn’t want to do what he had to do but he had been deceived. These evil men, who were jealous of Daniel, convinced the king to make a new law not realizing that the purpose of that law was to get rid of Daniel. Nevertheless, the King knew that Daniel was a good man. He cared deeply for him. (Vs. 18).
The King was greatly overwhelmed with guilt and was distressed with the whole situation. He was afraid for Daniel’s life. (Vs. 19 -20). The King was desperate to know if Daniel was still alive! What did Daniel’s trust in God do for him? (Vs. 21-23). Daniel was perfectly safe though sealed in a cave with ferocious lions. There was no way out and nowhere to hide! But he trusted God to save him, and God did! If anyone ever suggested that the lions must have been tame and gentle, we find that that was not so when we read on. When those who had deceived the king were thrown to the lions along with their families, they were attacked immediately. Their bones were crushed almost before their bodies hit the floor of the cave! They didn’t even have a chance to put their feet on the ground, yet Daniel was in the cave overnight! He had lots of time to spend with them. Imagine sitting in the dark with no light and knowing ferocious and hungry lions were walking around. They could have even passed right in front of him. And God didn’t just close the mouths of the lions so that they wouldn’t eat Daniel; he kept them from harming him as well! Because of Daniel’s faith and his trust in God, he was unharmed… not even a scratch!
The Lord our God whom we serve and worship looked after these men of God in their time of need because they trusted and believed that He was able to help them. We need to believe and trust in God as well. Peter said that God knows how to rescue godly men (and women, of course) from all kinds of trials (2 Peter 2:9).
We might not be called upon to build an ark or to fight a 9-foot giant, and we definitely won’t be thrown to the lions, but we all run into situations in life where we need to just trust in God. And by that, I mean – really trust Him to help us in our times of need.
Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart (wholeheartedly believe and trust Him) and lean not on your own understanding.” We sometimes think we have to take care of things all on our own, as if it all depends on us. We sometimes do not factor God at all in our thinking and decisions but we are told not to lean on our own understanding. Verse 6 continues to say, “in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight”. God can help us with anything we face but we need to really trust Him. We need to believe He can do something and patiently wait for it. (Read Ephesians 3:20 – 21).
God’s help is something we can always count on. As Christians, we are to believe that God can help us! We need to trust Him; not just say that we do, but to actually do it. Let your actions say that you trust God!
Shawn Leblanc
Portage Avenue church of Christ, Winnipeg, MB