Trust Issues, Psalm 146:1-10

Psalm 146:1-10

I really wanted to write on faith this morning. Faith is one of the most powerful tools in the Christian’s arsenal, if you have faith in God, nothing humanity can do can get to you, but few of us get to that place overnight. Even Peter doubted. As Christians we face challenges, moral decisions and spiritual warfare a lot more than we would care to. That’s the nature of the Word. In those times it’s quite natural and sensible to ask those around you to pray for strength, resistance and spiritual refreshment. When we feel weak He will sustain us, nothing is too big for the Almighty. When you’re in challenging situations put your hope in Him first and grow into such a faith that you won’t doubt His ability to get you through it. One of the best things about our relationship with God is that we learn that things aren’t dependent on us, but on Him and when we choose to go to Him in honesty, He fills us with more than we could ever imagine.

“Peace is not the absence of adversity peace is knowing God in adversity” Jenny Gilpin. Peace is a bit of a buzzword within Christian community. “I don’t know He just fills you with this peace”, “I just felt such a sense of peace”. And to those who aren’t experiencing it, it can all sound quite isolating. My advice is to meditate over psalms like Psalm 146 and any other verse (and there are hundreds) that speaks of God’s loving and faithful nature. His being is eternal, so He’s not going to change His mind when it comes to YOU needing something. Further, there is nothing you can do to stop Him being loving and faithful to you, you just have to be open to it.

“Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there. When their breathing stops, they return to the earth, and in a moment all their plans come to an end. But happy are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in The Lord their God” (146:3-5).

Life is going to knock you about a fair bit. Be it relationship, academic, or trust issues there will be times when you need God to give more than you can give. Obviously He’s always doing that. But what I mean is that there will be times where your faith and trust levels are at 5% whilst His giving is clear off the chart. Those are the times where I ask you to stick by Him with whatever it is that you have to give. Those are times where you may be vulnerable to attacks from the Enemy but your God will protect you, your Father will give you the grace that carries you through. “He is the one who keeps every promise forever” (146:6). “Forever“. God exists, and therefore thinks and acts, outside of the temporal, when it says forever it means for all of eternity.

As verses 3-5 say, humans are fallible, temporal creatures on this earth for but a moment. You can put your trust in the most powerful of people but at any point they may cease being here and that could put you right back to square one. Further, putting the kind of faith that you put in God on any other person leaves possibility for serious negative consequences. God alone will be able to give you true confidence no matter what you are facing, because God alone is in control.

“The Lord lifts the burdens of those bent beneath their loads…He protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and
widows,” (146:8-9). THIS is the God that we belong to. That overwhelming peace may not always be there to give us the indicator that we’re safe, God’s taken the reigns but He is the one who keeps every promise forever! Go to God with prayers of spiritual growth, of comfort, of help, of increase, because He’ll always do His part.

“Trouble does not mean you are out of the will of God. Real peace is finding footsteps in the midst of adversity. Peace is not finding a retreat away from the thud of battle. Real peace is staying firmly put on the battlefront with an unnatural sense of God firmly upon you. Peace is knowing God’s hand will never leave you and will lead you out into an even more spacious place.” Jenny Gilpin

The Word, 2Timothy 2:9

“And because I preach this Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained.” (2Tim 2:9)

The second epistle to Timothy is thought to be the last one ever written by Paul as he faced execution. Written to a dear follower with whom he held a close father-son relationship, it is full of tenderness and the wisdom of someone who had lived a long and purposeful life.

Paul was not being melodramatic, he had experienced multiple arrests, persecution and criticism for his teaching of the Good News. Having gone from a position of power, preaching had signed the certificate of execution that was to see Paul beheaded under Emperor Nero. Think about the prison system today, not a pleasant place but they have access to running water, toilets and food, do you think this is how a thorn in the side of the Jewish leaders and Roman Emperor was going to be treated? But look at that second sentence!

No matter what they were going to do to Paul, or Philemon, to John, James, Stephen “the word of God CANNOT be chained”! God is the Truth, the Almighty, the Creator. The history of Christianity is littered with men persecuted for their faith, but it is a continued history; men experiencing revelations of God’s grace, mercy, love were, and are, compelled to spread His teachings regardless of what they may face. “He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News” (1:10). In Turkey, in China, in Vietnam, the Middle East, you have people lovingly distributing bibles, putting on bible study classes for anyone who wants to know who Jesus is. They could suffer like Paul, who knew he was suffering like Jesus, because death no longer contained any power. If you know that persecution or threats on your life for truthfully preaching the Gospel will only take you to live in the Father and Son’s glory, it’s hardly something that would put you off of evangelising.

The Word compels us to go that extra mile for others because that is exactly what Jesus did for us. Our futures contained only death but in His perfect sacrifice we are given a completely new, joyful, holy life after physical death! The Word of God cannot and should not be chained because of all that it contains. “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realise what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work” (3:16-17).

Three closing points:

Firstly, your actions can lead people to know the Word of God. People are sceptical, but when you reflect God’s mercy, peace and joy, it opens up channels for people to get to know how the Good News has changed your life. No one’s expecting you to recite the Word of God in its entirety.

Second, scripture is about and inspired by God! It’s not homework, it’s an opportunity for us to know God better and help others to do the same, our home is with Him, our spirits feel at rest in His presence, and getting to grips with the Bible is a great way to come into that. As Christians we recognise God as this awesome being, but can then be picky with following particular teachings. Cut it out. Look at everything in its proper context, that you may understand it better, not because of the warning that Paul gives two chapters later. “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear” (4:3). Sound familiar?

Thirdly, God does not need you to do an ad campaign for the Word or for His Son. Now I don’t mean this literally, things like Alpha are changing people’s lives because they catch their attention on trains and buses. What I mean is that you don’t have to tell people the nice bits of the Bible, or butter them up so people will like what they’re hearing. It’s the Truth not the Pep Talk. “God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone” (2:19). The Word of God is that, it is God’s guidance to His chosen, not there to be adapted or watered down but to be understood and instructive.

God bless and keep you always x