Articles
Trusting in God
The words of Psalm 9:9-10 are beautiful:
“The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.”
Do you believe this (John 11:26)?
The Bible commends characters for trusting in God (Abram in Gen 15:6) or condemns those who do not trust in God (Jesus’s disciples in Mark 4:40). Faith is the focal point of the Christian life in texts such as Hebrews 11. Why is it difficult to have faith in God?
We are often more impacted by our circumstances than what we know about God. In the moment, our troubles seem real, more real than God himself. The tangible nature of an idol is the appeal of idolatry to ancient societies. The physical idol is a visible reminder of the actual presence of the deity and the assistance which they offer. The Psalmist’s enemies mock him by asking amid his darkness, “Where is your God (Ps 42:3, 10; 79:10; 115:2)?” Though the God of Israel seems invisible, inactive, and inattentive, the pagan worshiper can enter the temple and look their gods in the eyes.
In a similar way, our difficult situations seem more real than God’s presence. The spray from the waves swamping the disciples’ boat and the whistling of the wind on the Sea of Galilee can be felt more than Jesus, the Creator of the wind and the waves, in the stern (Matt 8:23-27). The wind and the waves pulsing against Peter demand his attention as he is walking on the water toward the increasingly murky figure of Jesus (Matt 14:22-32). The news coming from Jairus’s house that his daughter is dead is more overwhelming than the presence of the itinerant teacher from Nazareth, who holds the keys of death and Hades (Mark 5:21-43). The irreversible grip of death and the expected stench coming from Lazarus’s corpse are more pungent than Jesus, the Balm of Gilead (John 11:20-44).
Painful moments such as these strip away our pretense and reveal the actual source of our trust. God is a refuge (Ps 46:1), but not beyond death (Mark 5:35; John 11:39). God is a treasure (Matt 13:44), but our financial situation is weightier (Acts 5:1-11). We are made in the image of God (Gen 1:26-27), but our popularity in the eyes of others is more significant (John 12:42-43). God is enthroned as King of the universe (Ps 99:1-5), but the world will crumble if our candidate does not win the election (Isa 7:5-6). In what are we truly trusting?
In the words of the Rab-Shakeh: “What is your source of confidence? In whom do you trust?” (Isa 36:4-5). This is a sobering question. Is God honestly the peg on which all our hopes hang? Which would Jesus say to us: “I have not found such great faith even in Israel” (Matt 8:10) or “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith” (Matt 8:26)?
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