Sermon Central
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Trusting God In The Difficult Times Series
Contributed by Anthony Zibolski on Jul 20, 2012 (message contributor)
Summary: It is easy to trust God when everything is going okay. It takes trust when fear is bigger than your strength.
Trusting God in difficult times.
Introduction-
This morning we continue our series “Nuts and Bolts of life”.
We have looked at building relationships, the intimacy and sanctity of marriage and this morning look at trusting God when you are in difficult times.
It would be easy for me to tell you trust God and all things will be okay. Well, I can’t.
I do not know all that you are going through and I do not know how God will work in your circumstance and situation.
I can however, stand up here and tell you that the promises of God are true and you can trust God in His Word.
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Trusting God is like the little boy who was on the diving board and his father was below in the water telling him to jump and that he would be there to catch him. That diving board looks bigger and the water looks deeper when you are standing on the edge of the board than when you are in the water looking up. Here’s the point, in that boys mind, he weighs his fear against his faith and trust in his father. The one that wins will determine what he does. Fear wins and he climbs back down the ladder, even with some kids making fun of them. Trust wins, and he jumps off the board, believing that his father would not let anything happen to him.
That is the way it is with God and our lives.
At each point or intersection of our lives, fear wins or trust in God wins.
Trusting in God doesn’t always mean that the outcome is the way that you wanted, but it is trusting and believing that God will catch you when you fall and not let you out there by yourself.
Matthew 6:33- text image
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.”
A very familiar verse-often quoted, and often not lived out in our lives.
Have you ever thought about that familiar verse?
Has it impacted your life?
You have heard me say several times to put your trust in God.
Some of you have done it.
Some choose not to.
To put on the righteousness of God, you take on the image of Christ by modeling what Christ has told us to do.
But, have you ever thought of the second part of that verse? Applied it to your life?
“All these things shall be added unto you.” image
By putting God first and doing all that we know to do and by allowing God to impact and change our lives, Jesus says that there are promises that He would add to our lives.
Deep hunger and thirst for the Word of God.
Peace that passes all understanding.
Comfort and strength knowing that we are in the will of God.
Anything that is done on earth that has eternal value will be rewarded.
Asking, seeking, knocking, on God’s door will have God opening the door and you will find what you are looking for.
Jesus is not a system- He is God! Desiring to have a relationship with us that is meaningful and life-changing.
If we are going to make any attempt at understanding God and being able to trust Him during difficult times- you will have to understand this-
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Your problem may be bigger than you are, but it is not bigger than your God.
You may not have all the answers or understand what is going on, but God is never confused or sidetracked by any situation.
Anyone who seeks God first- God is ready and willing to take responsibility for a life that is yield to Him.
Illustration- image
Bruce Larson tells a story like this- on fifth Avenue in NYC, in front of the RCA building sits a gigantic statue of Atlas. He is carrying the world on his shoulders, and he is barely standing up under the pressure. He says you can try to live your life like that-feeling like the world is on your shoulders- (Good luck with that)!
On the other side of fifth Avenue, at St. Patrick’s cathedral is a statue of the boy Jesus holding up the world with great ease with one hand.
We have a choice! You are going to carry the weight of the world, or you are going to let Jesus carry it for you.
Trusting God is a process. It is building off the relationship you have with the Lord.
If you have no relationship with Him, it will be next to impossible to trust him when you are going through a hard time.
If you are able to remember other times that God has seen you through rough times, it is easier to let him have control of the situation you are in.
