January 8

Trusting is not like throwing a football. It is not a physical act that can be witnessed live or on video. Trust is an action of the heart in league with the mind. It is a choice people and nations make.

When we Americans decided to put “In God We Trust” on our money, this was a bold statement. We said that even if we build a navy to guard the high seas, or an army to guard our interests, or an air force to patrol the skies of the world, our ultimate trust is not in those military machinations.

We said that we will do commerce from sea to shining sea but our trust is not in the free market, but in the faithfulness of a covenant keeping God.

We also said that we would freely investigate all truth, all natural phenomena, to discern the secrets of creation and carefully pass them on to our young, but our trust will be in the Word of God, the beginning of wisdom.

We made the choice.

Today we make it again.

We trust in God because of so many things and in spite of some things.

Sometimes the evidence of God’s trustworthiness shines against the darkness of other choices.

There are also times when His hand seems delayed, when His answer cannot be clearly heard and understood, when His immediate care and provision cannot be detected, when His presence seems to have fled. Like His manifestation at Mt. Sinai, He seems hidden by smoke and thunder and the ground beneath our feet seems to tremble.

But still, we choose to trust, to continue on with the disciplines of daily life in Jesus: prayer, Word, worship, obedience, repentance, and stillness of spirit. Desperate for the atmosphere of Heaven, we breathe deeply in worship here on earth. As we do, the winds of the Spirit stir from their heavenly storehouses and race to us at the speed of His light. Like His manifestation at Mt. Zion, our spirits behold His face clearly and in great detail and we are changed in the process. Our hearts are refreshed.

This is vital to the day ahead, for it is in the heart that we trust in God.

Scriptures:
Psalm 20:7
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
Psalm 37:3-7
Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You alone know what this day holds for me and for those I love. I choose to trust You with today and all it will bring. Your Word is sure, fixed in the heavens and powerful here on earth. I walk in Your truth, confident in your Covenant, content in Your will, trusting in Your Character. Teach me to delight in Your ways. Empower me to do good as You direct me so that I might be a blessing as I dwell in the land and enjoy safety. In Your Name, Amen.

Song:
‘Tis so Sweet to Trust in Jesus
Words: Louisa Stead; Music: William Kirkpatrick

1. ‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to take Him at His word,
Just to rest upon His promise, Just to know “Thus saith, the Lord.

Refrain:
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er.
Jesus, Jesus, Precious Jesus! O for grace to trust Him more.

2. O how sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to trust His cleansing blood,
Just in simple faith to plunge me ‘Neath the healing, cleansing flood.
(Refrain)

3. Yes, ‘tis sweet to trust in Jesus, Just from sin and self to cease,
Just from Jesus simply taking Life and health and joy and peace.
(Refrain)

4. I’m so glad I learned to trust Him, Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend,
And I know that Thou art with me, Will be with me to the end.
(Refrain)

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved