Golden Pillar Class Study, teacher Edith Tolbert.
It’s easy to trust God in good times, but when the bad times come the enemy wants us to lean on our own understanding.
Proverbs 3:5-6 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 paths.
God wants us to trust each other but that isn’t easy sometimes. We lock our doors at night because we don’t trust. If someone lies about you and says bad things, we won’t trust them. We first have to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength if we’re going to trust him. Trust is: to allow to do something without fear about outcome, to rely on, to have complete confidence in. God wants us to have complete confidence that he has everything in control.
Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
God gave Moses specific instructions. God led the Israelites out of Egypt by a cloud at night and a pillar of fire at night.
Numbers 20:7-8…Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together…and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water…out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation…
Moses was 120 years old and led the Israelites 40 years but he disobeyed instructions because of frustration, anger, and relying on his feelings. God didn’t tell Moses to speak to the people but he was supposed to speak to the rock, not hit it!
Numbers 20:9-11 And Moses took the rod…as he commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said…Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank…
God chastens his children. God disciplined Moses because of his unbelief by not obeying. God didn’t let him go into Canaan. We can’t give into the enemy by gettng impatient or saying things out of the flesh, instead of just being obedient. It doesn’t matter how long we’ve been serving the Lord, we have to do what God says every day.
Numbers 20:12 And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.
In 1860 Charles Blondin stretched a 3 ¼ inch rope 1100 feet across Niagra Falls. He was an acrobat and tightrope walker since he was 5 years old. He first walked the rope across the falls with a balance pole. Maybe his most famous walk was when he pushed a wheelbarrow across the falls. He asked the crowd if any of them were willing to get in the wheelbarrow to be pushed across. No one was willing at first, but then an elderly lady agreed (it was said to be his mother). She was confident to put her life in his hands. How many of us would get in the wheelbarrow? There are many things in life we don’t understand, but we have to trust God just like that lady. We have to be willing to let God do with us however he wants without arguing or finding fault. We’ll be a fool if we let ourselves be moved by the feelings of our own heart. We have to trust in God.
Proverbs 28:26 He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.
Sister Edith is afraid of heights and has been in the glass elevator at Niagra Falls but she doesn’t go by the window. She found that she wasn’t afraid if she looked up and out instead of down. Spiritually if we look down, we’ll see negative things. We can trust and look up to God, knowing he has control. There’s a curse if we trust in ourselves instead of God.
Jeremiah 17:5-6 Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.
We’ll be in a fruitful place if we trust God. It will be a dry desert place if we trust in ourselves.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
There are attributes that show we’re trusting God:
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Integrity and honest: People trust you if you’re always honest. You’re reliable and dependable to do the right thing no matter what the circumstances are.
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Consistent: God wants us to be consistent in reading the Bible and praying every day. You say what you mean and mean what you say.
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Transparent: We’re open so people can see through us and that we’ve not hiding anything or deceitful. If a husband or wife is hiding things from each other, there will be problems and the spouse will lose trust.
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Good intent and motives: Good intent and motives help people have confidence in what we say.
God sometimes leads us in ways that don’t make sense to us. God didn’t lead the Israelites out of Egypt by the closest way, but the way he led was necessary. We all have detours in life, but they’re necessary to avoid a problem.
Exodus 13:17-18…when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through…the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt: But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea…out of the land of Egypt.
Detours are not detrimental. God sends a message for how to go when we don’t know what to do. God promised to give Abraham the land of Canaan but it was 400 years before his descendants realized the promise. Sometimes we don’t know how long the detour will take. God gave a detour around the enemy when the Israelites went out of Egypt. The king of Syria thought a spy was telling the king of Israel his plans but God was telling Elisha the prophet.
II Kings 6:11-14…king of Syria was sore troubled…called his servants, and said…Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel? And one…said, None…but Elisha, the prophet…telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. And he said, Go and spy where he is …And it was told…he is in Dothan. Therefore sent he…compassed the city…
Elisha told his servant to look up when the camp was surrounded by 40,000 enemies. God showed more were with them than the enemy. You won’t trust but will be discouraged by looking at your problems. God wants us to trust, not try to figure things out.
II Kings 6:15-17…the servant of the man of God was risen early, and…behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said…Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed…Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man…and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
Jehoshaphat feared, proclaimed a fast for everyone, and prayed when the Syrians came against them.
II Chronicles 20:2 Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi.
II Chronicles 20:12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.
The people fell down and worshipped when they heard the battle wasn’t theirs but it was God’s and he’d fight for them.
II Chronicles 20:15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah…and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
II Chronicles 20:17-18 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle…stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord …fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you. And…all Judah…fell before the Lord, worshipping…
The choir went in front of the army praising the Lord. God set an attack against the enemy and they destroyed each other. God wants us to keep our joy and keep trusting him when the detours come in our lives.
II Chronicles 20:21-23 And…he appointed singers…that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and…Praise the Lord; for his mercy…And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against… Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir…were smitten.…stood up…to slay and destroy…every one helped to destroy another.