Trust in the midst of the Trial

The king of Italy and the king of Bohemia promised John Huss safe transport and safe custody. They broke their promises, however, and Huss was martyred. Thomas Wentworth carried a document signed by King Charles I, which read, “Upon the word of a king, you shall not suffer in life, honor, or fortune.” Shortly afterward, however, his death warrant was signed by the same monarch. “Put not your trust in princes,” were his last words.
“It is better to trust in the Lord” than in anyone or anything else.

Trust - firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something. 

The devil has been trying to get us, humans, to distrust the One person we can fully trust in. Ever since heaven, Satan planted doubt and distrust into the minds and hearts of angels. He has imported his strategy into our world. He has caused humanity to doubt and distrust God. Ever since there has been an ongoing plan to drive this wedge between us and God. The Bible presents the most fundamental truth that God is Love.  

Read Prov. 3:5,6 Rev 12; Genesis 3:15; Rev 20:2

1. What comes to mind when you hear the word “trust”?

• Faith
• Honestly
• Integrity
• Belief
• Other.

2.  What are some ways in which we lean on our own understanding? Proverbs 3:5-6

• Relying on our education.
• Depending on our jobs.
• Relying on our experience.
• Depending on our relationships.
• Other.

3. Who do you trust in “with all your heart”?

• Parents
• Siblings
• Extended Family
• Spouse
• Close friend
• Other.

4. What has it been like to trust God with all your heart?

• It’s my greatest desire.
• I struggle with trusting God.
• I know God knows best and I want to obey.
• I have seen God coming through when I trust him.
• Other.

5. What does acknowledging God mean to you? Proverbs 5:6

• Recognizing when God has done something you can’t take credit for.
• Telling people that it’s not about you when people want to give you credit.
• Repeating that everything you have and have become is because of God.
• Having an awareness of his presence in every area of your life.
• Other.

6. How does trust and acknowledgment work together to make your paths straight?

• Straight paths don’t always look straight but you take the path anyway because God says so.
• See God walking with on the road he wants to take you on.
• Comparing your knowledge to God’s knowledge and choosing God.
• You're put trusting God and acknowledging him over any of my knowledge.
• Other.

7. How was trust broken in heaven according to Revelation 12:7-9

• Lucifer trusted himself more than God.
• Lucifer was able to sow distrust among the angels.
• Distrust lead to a war.
• Distrust resulted in a separation from God.
• Other.

8. How was that mistrust brought here to earth? Genesis 3

• Did God really say… (vs. 1)
• You really won’t die… (vs. 3)
• Adam & Eve were afraid and hid from God (vs.  8)
• Sin brought distrust between Adam & Eve (vs. 12)
• Other.

Trust seems like a normal thing for a Christian to practice. To believe God even when it goes against what we believe to be a better course of action. Trust is more than something we believe in. Trust is something that we do. Our confidence in God grows as we read about how God related to his people in the Bible. That’s the knowledge of trusting God. Then we go out into the world and put it into practice. Practice means something we do over and over again to get better at it. We learn by repetition, by continually trying and not giving up when we mess up. 

Trusting God in everyday things helps us to trust God in the occasional big things. The first couple’s temptation could seem like a small thing - you can eat from all the trees except this one. It doesn’t seem too complicated. But when you add a talking snake into the mix, you have just taken the temptation to a new level. Have you ever asked yourself, “what was Eve even doing around the tree that God said not to eat of”? The devil didn’t show up at one of the “good” trees. I guess part of trusting God is checking out what the forbidden is to understand better what I am supposed to stay away from. That sounds like an excellent human excuse. “Well, God, I just wanted to see why the tree is not good for eating. I’m not going to eat it. Just look at it.” Maybe my scenario is far-fetched, and Eve just happened to be walking by the tree with the forbidden fruit. What does this have to do with trust? In hindsight, we could say, trust God and stay away from the tree. Well, God gave us the ability to choose for ourselves, and free will implies the ability to trust. If God took away our ability to choose, then there would be no need for trust. Trust means that we have a choice not to trust. In heaven, Lucifer had to trust too, but he decided not to trust in God.

So as hard as it may be, trust is taking God at his word, believing in the outcome he promises, making decisions based on God’s word, obey his commandments even when they may be inconvenient.
Apply

1. Think about a time when you faced a trial, you trusted in God and did the right thing. 
2. Is it a lack of trust to get too close to temptation?
3. What are the “little” things that you still struggle trusting in God with?
4. Continue reading the Bible so your trust and faith increase, but also trust God in the application of that trust.

Sharing your faith is an act of trust too. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples.” Along with that was the promise of his presence as we went forth. 
It takes trust to open our mouths and bring God into the conversation. 
It takes trust to invite someone to church. 
It takes trust to read the Bible while you have a drink at a coffee shop. 
It takes trust to begin a conversation with someone while waiting in line or riding the bus or train.

Trusting God doesn’t mean you are not nervous as you GO. When faced with a minor or significant dilemma, first consider 

1. What God’s word says. 
2. What the Holy Spirit speaks to you. 
3. What your faith brings to the moment. 

You will face temptation. Maybe we’re too close to the forbidden fruit. We want to share God’s word and what God has done in our lives, but what if it goes wrong? What if I don’t know what to say? What if I make things worse? We don’t always get it right as imperfect beings, but disciples are learners, and learners are learning how to live. We are not just students in the classroom learning what trust is. We are like the scientist who experiments with the information at hand. Experiments don’t always go right on the first attempt. You trust your research, believe in what you are doing, and keep trying until it works. You continue to read the Bible (the literature), you continue to consult with God (like consulting with the scientific community), and you go back into the lab (the world).  

Even when Adam & Eve failed the experiment, Jesus came into the world to pick up where Adam & Eve had fallen. He walked through the same territory, faced the same temptation, and was able to succeed where other men and women had tried. So when we don’t get the experiment right, trust God who sends us his Spirit to empower us to keep going, keep learning, keep trying, and never stop trusting. 

Apply

1. Trust God in the area of bringing God into a conversation with someone this week. See what happens.
2. Trusting can happen before a trial or temptation. It can also occur after the test or temptation. Whether we fail or succeed, our trust in God must increase.
3. Share a story of how you were blessed by trusting God.