Proverb 3:5-6(Trust God)
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy path.”
Do we really trust God? Most would answer yes to this question. But do our actions match our words? Let’s take a look at some Elite Trust in God.
The Story
If our trust does not equate to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah we have some work to do. If these names aren’t familiar, maybe their Babylonian names will jog your memory:
- Daniel known as Belteshazzar
- Hananiah known as Shadrach
- Mishael known as Meshach
- Azariah known as Abednego
The magnificent story of these gentlemen can be found in the book of Daniel. All four were captured during war and forced to serve in a foreign king’s palace. Their trust for God remained strong despite being captives in a foreign land. One of Gods many great attributes is His willingness to add favor to the lives of those who trust Him. That’s exactly what He did for Daniel and crew.
Daniel 1:17 says, “God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom.” This favor from God caused the native Babylonians to start searching for fault in these gentlemen. Don’t be surprised when God places favor on your life how some people will start to highlight your faults. The Babylonians went so far as trying to have the men killed. And that’s when their trust in God was put on display.
Daniel’s Trust Test
Daniel was sentenced to death for violating a law that prohibited praying to anyone divine or human-except to the king. As soon as Daniel learned about the law, he went and prayed 3 times a day giving thanks to God. Daniel understood that no matter what worldly laws were mandated, obedience and trust in God’s word was the ultimate law. This reminds me of the law that removed prayer from schools. No law can dictate when and where we pray to the Almighty. Matter of fact, these absurd laws that are mandated today should have us praying more than 3 times a day.
Daniel’s punishment was death by being thrown into a “Lion’s Den.” An interesting observation is the Bible never mentioned Daniel kicking and screaming on his way to his perceived death. That’s because his trust in God never wavered despite man’s thinking he was in control. Often times today, the world tries to give us the death penalty by sentencing divorce, sickness, infertility and other trials and tribulations. We have to have Daniel’s type trust. Trust that understands God will never leave nor forsake us. This elite trust Daniel possessed had him make it out of the “Lion’s Den” without a scratch. God will do the same for us if we simply trust him. It’s no guarantee we won’t be scratched, but it’s guaranteed we will make it through any obstacle and adversity!
The Crew’s Trust Test
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego trust test mirrored Daniels. And their trust in God yielded the same positive result. These gentlemen were sentenced to death because they wouldn’t bow down and worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue. They were being obedient to God’s word that says, “You must worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.” Understand that being obedient to God’s word will put you at odds from a worldly perspective.
Similar to Daniel’s punishment these gentlemen received a death penalty by being thrown into a blazing furnace. Their last words were some of the greatest in all of Bible. They told the King “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us… But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you…we will never serve your gods(Daniel 3:17-18).” That’s what you call trusting in the Almighty. And like Daniel they stepped out of the blazing furnace unharmed. The Bible even stated they didn’t even smell like smoke. Elite Trust!
Conclusion
Trusting in God is an ongoing process. Life will put us in situations where our trust is put to the test. During those tests, will you waver, worry and panic? Or will you walk to the “Lion’s Den” or “Blazing Furnace” calmly knowing God has the final say.
Prayer:
Lord, Thank You for being the great God you are. Lord, continue to give us a mind to trust in You. We understand trials and tribulations will test our trust. But we also trust in your words and seek your Will. Which will cause you to direct our path. Amen.