Do you trust Me?

We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post, at no additional cost to you.

There have been several things lately that the Lord has laid heavily on my heart. There is one issue in particular, though, that I’ve been really praying about: the desire for another child. I had been struggling with how to pray about it. I firmly believe that God is capable of giving us more children, but I didn’t believe that He necissarily would. The Lord began convicting me of that viewpoint, so I started to pray that God would show me if I was being realistic like I thought I was, or if I was doubting.

Sunday morning, our preacher told us that his sermon was going to be on faith – only he was going to use the word trust because people identify more readily with the word trust. His sermon was called Enemies of Our Trust, and it was taken from the story of Jairus and his daughter in Luke 8. This is what I learned:

One thing that struck me almost immediately was when Preacher mentioned that the first thing to attack our trust in God is our pride. He told us that although the passage was talking about Jairus trying to get Jesus to heal his daughter, Jesus was also trying to teach His disciples a lesson. (v. 45-46) Jesus was trying to teach His disciples to trust Him no matter what. Is my pride keeping me from getting right with God?

The second thing that attacks our trust in God is when we begin to lose our place. (v. 42) While Jairus was trying to reach Jesus, Jesus stopped and healed a woman who had been sick for years. Jairus may have gotten upset that Jesus stopped to heal someone – after all, his daughter was dying, and they didn’t have much time. It made me think. I don’t “get a number” when I pray. God doesn’t just help whoever is next in line. He has a distinct reason for helping people when He does. I need to make sure that I don’t get upset just because someone else’s prayer gets answered before mine does! It goes back to pride. I’m not the only person with a problem, and my problem is not more important than someone else’s problem.

The third thing to attack our trust is predjudice. This ties in closely with number two. We get predjudiced and think that our own problems are worse than anybody else’s. (v. 42-43)

A fourth thing to attack my trust is delay. The delays that I think ruin everything (like when Jesus stopped to heal the woman with the issue of blood in v. 43-48) may be God’s promise to me that He will answer my prayer. It needs to strengthen my trust. I need to look at things that I think delay God’s answer to my prayers and see what I can learn from them. Am I getting offended at God’s promises? God may answer someone else’s prayer, but do I see the promises that are contained there? For me, when someone else becomes pregnant before me – do I get offended because I don’t think they “deserve” it enough? Or do I see it as another reminder that God answers prayer? This is where I need to check my attitude before the Lord. I can’t trust God with predjudice, pride, or even anger at Him. In the flame, or out of the flame, it doesn’t matter – I’m still a child of God.

The fifth thing that attacks our trust in God is panic. (v. 50-52) When Jairus’ servants came to tell him his daughter had died, it must have been easy to panic. “Never mind now, Lord. My daughter died.” Was he thinking that Jesus didn’t answer his prayer? Did he think Jesus was too late? Even when Jesus arrived at the house it seemed like everyone was panicking and mourning the girl’s death. What about me? Do I panic when things don’t look like they’re going my way? Am I quick to say God didn’t answer my prayer – right when He is preparing to answer it?

God was very clear to me that morning. When I thought I was being realistic, I was actually doubting Him. Isn’t that what Pharisees do? They find a way to excuse their sin? I did that for years! It seems that I had fallen back into that same sin. “I believe that God can, but I don’t believe that He will.” Wow. And I thought I was just being realistic.

I believe that God has wonderful things in store for His children. But how can He bless us if we tell Him that we don’t trust Him? I know as a parent, I would have a hard time giving my child something he asked for if he told me that “I want this but I don’t trust you. I don’t think you’re going to give it to me.” But that’s what I’ve been telling God all along, isn’t it?

God will answer my prayer. Psalm 37:4 says:

Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

That desire is in my heart for a reason; and God will answer my prayer. It may not be in the exact way that I expect (I’m sure Jairus didn’t think his daughter would die!), but God will answer. I wonder what His plans are! I wonder what amazing miracles God has planned for my life.

So the question God is asking us is, “Do you trust Me?” Well, do you?