Trusting God

So, do you believe everything the Bible says? Do you really trust God? Just how far are you willing to go? If you have received the salvation offered through Jesus Christ, then you probably believe John 3:16. And Romans 3:23, 6:23, and 8:28. You probably also believe Mark 16:15. You may even go so far as to believe 1 Corinthians 10:13 and Hebrews 13:5 (all classics and favorite verses of mine).

Now let me throw one at you. 1 Kings 17:1-6. Since it is the subject of this article, I will paste the verses here. (You probably have not memorized these verses anyway.) “Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, ‘As the LORD, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.’ 2 The word of the LORD came to him, saying, 3 ‘Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 4 It shall be that you will drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.’ 5 So he went and did according to the word of the LORD, for he went and lived by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he would drink from the brook.”

Do you believe this? Do you believe that every resource the Lord owns and created is at our disposal and can be appointed for our benefit? Isn’t that what this says? The Lord says He commanded the ravens to bring food to Elijah. If the Lord can tell the birds what to do and they do it, what else can the Lord do?

There is one condition that must be mentioned lest we overlook it. The Lord told Elijah to do something. The Lord told Elijah to go to the brook Cherith. The condition is obedience. The ravens would be there, the Lord already said that. The water would be there. The one thing missing would be Elijah. In an act of obedience and complete trust, Elijah went. And amazingly, the ravens showed up twice a day with meat.

Do you also believe 1 Kings 19:2-8? “Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, ‘So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.’ 3 And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, ‘It is enough; now, O LORD, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.’ 5 He lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and behold, there was an angel touching him, and he said to him, ‘Arise, eat.’ 6 Then he looked and behold, there was at his head a bread cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 The angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, ‘Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you.’ 8 So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.”

I will not ask you any trick questions on this one because there is no condition to the Lord’s providence here. This is the Lord sending His angels to minister to Elijah at a time when he was exhausted, in fear for his life, and believed he was at the end of his road. So, from where did the cake come? How did the jar of water get there? And from where did the angels come?

Do you really believe this? Do you really believe that the Lord who created the heavens and the earth, all the animals, fish, birds and humans would also make a cake and jar of water appear out of nowhere? Do you believe He would do this to minister to one of His own?

Is it not true that this is in the same Bible as John 3:16, Romans 3:23, 6:23, 8:28, 1 Corinthians 10:13 and Hebrews 13:5? If you believe these verses, then why not 1 Kings 17 and 19?

Unfortunately, I see us putting God in a box. I see people limit His power and work in the world. One of my favorite more recent men of faith is George Muller. He believed the Lord was calling him to minister to children through a school and an orphanage. At the time, he had nothing from which to build the school or to house the orphan children. For George Muller, that was no problem. He simply turned it over to the Lord and made it the Lord’s problem. “If you want me to teach and house these children, then this is what I need,” and George made a list of household items, furniture, staff, buildings and operating funds that he would need. Once the Lord provided all these items, the day of the grand opening arrived, and George sat patiently, while no children came to the house. Several days went by, until George realized that of all the things he prayed for, he neglected to pray for children. On praying for children to fill the house, he had applications come quickly until all available spots were taken.

Volunteer staff responded from neighboring towns, and donations were sent from other countries in response to the need. There was just one catch. George never told anyone what he needed. All that he needed he laid before the Lord in prayer and let the Lord work it out in His good time and bring the people and amounts He knew would be needed and best suited for the work. So how did these people know to respond?

If the Lord can tell the ravens what to do, then He can also tell us what to do in response to human need (or someone else in response to your need). If you believe John 3:16, then you believe 1 Kings 17 and 19. All that is standing between you and the Lord’s providence is your obedience and trust in the Lord. This is not an easy trust, such as trusting that the chair will hold your weight when you sit in it. This is a trust that places your very well being, next breath and next meal in the Lord’s hands.

If this message is not well understood, then consider that this is why the Lord said it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. The wealthy have no need of placing their trust in the Lord for their next meal or their next breath. This type of trust is left to those who have no earthly means to carry out the work the Lord has given them. They instead trust that the Lord will call upon every resource at His disposal to aid in their work.