Learning to Rely on the Lord

Introduction

Good morning. If you will, open in your Old Testament’s the 1 Kings chapter 15. 1 Kings chapter 15. Learning who you can rely on is a very difficult thing that some of us can learn very early. For example, there were two young brothers, one about six years old and one about nine years old, and they were decorating some eggs, getting ready for the Easter holiday. And the older brother said, Hey, I will give you a dollar if I can smash these three eggs on your head. Little boy says, Do you mean it? And he said, Sure. And he said, Okay, then. So he smashed the first egg and it was a mess. He got the second egg and it was even messier. And then the older brother went away.

The younger brother said, Now wait a minute, you said you’d give me a dollar if you cracked three eggs on my head. Why when is the third egg going to come? And he said, I’m not doing that. That third egg’s gonna cost me a dollar. The younger brother learned, you can’t always trust older brother when he has a bunch of eggs. You can see the universal application there, can’t you? In 1 Kings chapter 15 and verse 9, though, we read about a really good person. If you were to look out throughout the Old Testament history and look at the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah, you could probably count on one hand or even less, depending on how stringent your qualifications are, of kings that you would trust to do the right thing, of kings that would rely upon God in times of trouble.

Asa is probably on that list. You’ll see why, beginning in 1 Kings 15 and verse 9. In the 20th year of Jeroboam, king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah, and he reigned 41 years in Jerusalem. Now, his mother’s name was Makabh the daughter of Abshalom. And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as David his father had done. He put away the male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. He also removed Achal’s mother from being queen mother, because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her image and burned it at the book could draw. But the high places were not taken away. But nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true to the Lord all his days.

And he brought into the house of the Lord the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver and gold and vessels. I want to highlight two verses before we get into our lesson this morning. One of those is in verse 11. Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as David his father had done. If you were to look at somebody who was a good king of united Israel, it was David. David, a man described in the book of Acts as a man after God’s own heart. Asa is described as being good like David. And then, of course, you come down to verse 14, the last phrase.

Here we have found a good king. And why is he good? Because his heart was wholly true to the Lord all his days. Now that sounds like a really happy story, but the truth is, when you look at the Chronicles account, if you’ll turn with me to 2 Chronicles 16, and you can put a marker there. We’re going to spend a lot of our time in 2 Chronicles 16 this morning. Even a good king, even a king whose heart was, quote, wholly devoted to the Lord all his days, had a problem relying on the Lord. You see, it wasn’t that he didn’t know who God was, he was described as good, and he was good because he obeyed the Lord. It wasn’t that he didn’t have any sort of teaching on the matter.

He certainly had the law. He was a king of Judah, God’s people, within even God’s people. But in 2 Chronicles chapter 16, Asa faced something we all faced to a different degree, and that shook him. But look in 2 Chronicles chapter 16, look with me in verse 1. We fast forwarded several years in the 36th year of the reign of Asa. Baasha, king of Israel, went up against Judah and built Ramah that he might permit no one to go out or to come in to King Asa, king of Judah. Then Asa took silver and gold from the treasures of the house of the Lord and the king’s house and sent them to Ben Hadad, king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying, There is a covenant between me and you, as there was between my father and your father.

Behold, I am sending to you silver and gold. Go break your covenant with Bayasha, king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me. And Ben Hedad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they conquered Azon, Dan, Abel, Mayam, and all the store cities of Naphtala. And when Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Rama and let his work cease. You see, there was a problem in verse 1, and that problem, embarrassingly, for God’s people, was all God’s people. In verse 1, who is causing the threat to Judah? Who is causing the problem to Asa? Bayasha, king of Israel. He was causing a problem. In verse 1, he was making it to where no one could go out or come in of Judah under King Asa’s thumb and reign.

And so now Asa has a decision to make. What will I do? Now, this is a problem between God’s people, Israel and Judah. This is a problem for the king of Judah, who was wholly true, and his heart was wholly good with the Lord for all of his days. Now the question would be who should Asa turn to in times of this trouble? The answer is easy. The answer is God. The practicality, though, is very difficult, because as we think about Asa, we should think of that good man described in 1 Kings 15. But what we should realize is just like with Asa, and just like with us, we might consider ourselves good people who are devoted to the Lord. But even good people who know God, who know what God has done for them, and have even blessed them, can struggle to rely on God when it gets hard.

Yes, Asa did good things, but note what happened in time of war. When there was a struggle, when there was a fight, when Judah was probably outmanned from a military standpoint, who did Asa turn to? Not God. But did he have victory? Yes. Who did Asa turn to? He turned in verse 2 to Bin Hedad, king of Syria. He said, You come, make a covenant with us. Break your covenant with Israel. Come and be with us, and we will reward you. And he was successful. You see, it wasn’t even just success, it wasn’t threat of turmoil or problems. It was that Asa did not rely on God. And that would be a problem. Read with me in verse 7. You see, God’s messenger comes to Asa.

In verse 7, at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa, king of Judah, and said to him, Because you relied on the king of Syria and did not rely on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you. Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the Lord, he gave them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless towards him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars. Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in the stalks in prison, for he was in a rage with him because of this.

And Asa inflicted cruelties upon some of the people at the same time. This is quite the quick fall for such a good king, is it not? You see in verse 7, Hananiah comes, and what is his charge in verse 7? Because you relied on the king of Syria, because you did not rely on God, there will be consequences. And what he tries to tell Asa in verse 8 is, look, you know how God takes care of his people. And we all know that. We know, do we say, if we were to say, can we trust in God? Can we rely on the Lord? The answer is, yes, of course we can. In verse 8, Hanani tells him, were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army?

Didn’t they have many different horsemen? And what happened there? Because you relied on the Lord, he gave them into your hand. Because you trusted in God, God took care of the problem. But in verse 9, God is watching. And what did he say at the last part of verse 9? You have done foolishly in this. And because you have not relied on God, you will have many wars. And by the way, this good king Asa, whose heart was wholly true and wholly devoted to the Lord all his days, in verse 10, not only didn’t he trust on God in this point of turmoil, but when he was called on it by Hananiah the seer, when he had a chance to turn and say, I have done wrong.

What was his reaction in verse 10? He got angry. He threw Hananiah into prison, and then what did he do? The last phrase in verse 10 inflicted cruelties upon some of the people at the same time. If you just read 2 Chronicles 16, verses 1 through 10, you’d say, Asa’s not really a good king. But 1 Kings 15 says he was. That tells me a very important lesson. Not that Asa was just good or that Asa was just bad, but that even good people struggle when there’s pressure put on us. When the world is circling towards us and making it harder and harder to stand up and do what’s right. That’s when God’s people are really most put to the test. And even good people feel that pressure.

In fact, Asa didn’t just struggle here, also in chapter 16 and verse 11, we see the same problem again. In verse 11, the acts of Asa from first to last are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. In the 39th year of his reign, Asa was diseased in a speed, and his disease became severe. Yet even in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but sought help from the physicians. So if you’re keeping score, that means Asa did not rely on God in time of war. He did not rely on God when facing physical disease, and yet 1 Kings 15 is still true. So how do we understand then if it is real and a present threat to me as a Christian, as somebody who believes in God, who knows I should trust in God?

1. We Don’t Like to Give Up Control

If it is true and real that I can be pulled away, that there can be enough external pressure, enough disappointment in life and the people around me that I can be pulled away from God. How do I understand that to happen? Why is it so difficult to truly rely on the Lord? First of all, it’s really hard because if we’re being completely honest, we don’t like to give up control. Have you ever been one of those people who goes on a vacation and never plans anything when you go there? I haven’t. Every step of the way is going to be planned. Raise your hand if you are a planner. Raise them high and proud. I didn’t give you a heads up, I should have let you plan on it, right?

See, that’s about half the people. Now, when you go and do things, if you’re like me, you’re an extreme planner. You plan where you’re going, where you’re going to drive there, what you’re going to drive it in, and you have every little detail. Isn’t it fun for Kashka to take a vacation with me? Don’t you envy her? We don’t like to give up control because we like to know what’s going to happen. We like to think we are in control. We like to think that we can chart our own plan, plan our own destiny is a very common phrase that’s out there. But the truth of the matter is, following God means, yes, there will be sometimes I feel like my way and God’s way are one and the same, and I can feel really good about that.

But do you know what happens to everybody, even good people like King Asa? Something happens, and you know where God’s way goes? It goes this way. And you know where I want to go? The other way. It’s easy to be with God when we’re on the same track. When what I want is what God wants. But being human, being fallible, there will be sometimes I want something that God’s will doesn’t have in store for me. What will I do at that fork in the road? Will I trust in God or will I trust my own ways? Abraham faced a severe test. I’ve got to tell you about going somewhere you’ve never been. Notice Genesis chapter 12. Note exactly what God tells Abram here. In Genesis chapter 12, we know the story, but notice the phrasing.

And then think about trying to take a trip like this. Genesis 12 and verse 1. Now the Lord said to Abram, Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. A what? Go. Okay, we got that command. Go from your country, leave everybody you know, everybody you love, everything you’re used to, and I want you to go. Go where? To the land that I will show you. What? Leave everything? Leave everybody? Verse 2, God says, I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you, and I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, verse 3, and him who dishonors you, I will curse.

Then you all families of the earth shall be blessed. God says, If you trust me, it will be worth it. I have a plan for you, Abram, but you have to go. You have to be uncomfortable. You have to leave. And we know what verse 4 says. So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. But Hebrews chapter 11 tells us even more about this. Notice in Hebrews chapter 11, as the inspired word reveals us more about this incident. Look in Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 8. This says it as well as anybody ever could. Hebrews chapter 11 and in verse 8. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance.

And he went out not knowing where he was going. That is difficult. Who was in control? God was. Would this be an easy command? We read this and we’re so used to the story of Abraham that we’re like, yeah, God said go, so Abraham went. If God spoke to me, I’d go. And yet, like Asa, we know God’s word. Like Asa, we’ve seen God’s hand in our life. How many times has God blessed your life in a way that you never expected? Has he taken you down a door or a pathway you would have never gone on, but you realize it was for your good, it was for your betterment. And yet every time when the armies of the world surround us, when we face struggle and disease, we don’t trust first in God, because we think we have the solution.

If you look at verse 13, you note the difference between those who are strong in the faith and those who are weak or lacking in faith. In verse 13, these all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country. That is a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. Do you see what strong faith does?

Strong faith says in verse 13, I know that this earth is not what it’s about. I know that the reward, the blessings, the promises aren’t about the here and now. And again we say. I know that. But how do we understand then what God wants of us? He wants us to stop saying, Here’s where my will is, and here’s where God will is, and say, God, your will be done. Remember, that’s what Jesus prayed three times in the garden in Matthew chapter 26. Let this cup pass from me. But nevertheless, let thy will, not mine, be done. We don’t like to give up control, and the truth of the matter is we don’t like to give up control, because in times like Matthew chapter 6, we get even more tight along around the reins.

2. It Is a Faith Problem When We Worry

Matthew chapter 6 and verse 25, note what Jesus says. I often talk about any time we’ll turn here, this has to be one of the least obeyed New Testament passages. And this is even in the red letters. This is straight from Jesus. Matthew chapter 6 and verse 25, Jesus says, Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life. Or, translation, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body or what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, they neither sow nor reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of much more value than they?

And which of you, by being anxious, can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they neither toil nor spend. Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is sown to the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? I want to stop in the reading there. You see in verse 25, Jesus says, Do not be anxious about your life. And then what does he say? It’s a problem of in verse 30. It is a faith problem when we worry.

It’s not a cute little problem. It’s a faith problem. Not relying on God when times are difficult is not something that’s just kind of a funny thing or something to shrug off and say we all struggle with it, which we do. It is a faith problem. What was Asa’s problem in 2 Chronicles 16? That he didn’t rely on God. And Han and I came to him and said, Look, God has shown you in the battle of the Ethiopians and with the Libyans. When they came, was their army greater? Yes. Did they have more horsemen? Yes. But because you relied on the Lord, he took care of you. You notice in verse 27, my favorite reason, and the answer of why would why should we not worry?

Why should we give up control and trust in God? First and foremost in verse 27, worry does no good. Verse 27, and which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? I like to ask the question like this Who here has decided that after days and weeks and months of worry and anxiety that eats away at us, keeps us from sleeping, keeps us from thinking right, has said years later, you know that was one of the best points in my life. I loved how anxious and worried I was. And by the way, all that sleep I lost really helps me get through it. Worrying doesn’t do any good. Jesus said very clearly, you can worry about your life all you want, but you won’t add a single hour to your span of life.

Of course, there are other reasons given if you can continue the reading in verse 32. The Gentiles are seeking after all these things. What things? Verse 25, this life, the body, what we will wear, what we will drink, what we will eat. Verse 32, for the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. The reaction in our life when at times are difficult is going to be one of two ways and two ways only. To trust God or to trust some man.

It might be myself, it might be somebody else, like Asa trusted King Ben Hadad. It might be a government, it might be a people, it might be an organization. We are going to trust God and his pathway or ours. How strong our faith is determines who will rely on. Does God have to show us anything else? Does he have to prove that he will be there for us? Not at all. In fact, go back to verse 26. He gave a case in point again. In verse 26, look at the birds of the air. They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. He clothed the grass of the field. Do you see how in 2 Chronicles 16 and here in Matthew chapter 6, do not worry.

Trust in God. In both cases, what did God’s messenger say to us? Look at the proof. God took care of you, Asa. He took care of you with the Ethiopians. He took care of you with the Libyans. Jesus says in Matthew chapter 6, look at nature. God takes care of the birds. He takes care of the grass. How much more will he clothe you? How much more will he take care of you? Verse 32, we need to ingrain in our minds the last phrase. Your heavenly Father knows that you need these things. And so verse 34, sufficient for the day is its own trouble. I won’t borrow worry. I will trust in God. I won’t doubt or fear. I will rely upon my God, who is trustworthy and reliable.

3. We Think We Know What We Need

Consider thirdly, why it’s difficult to trust in the Lord. One of them is we don’t like to give up control, and it sounds a lot like this one until you read 1 Samuel chapter 8. The truth is we think we know what we need. Look at me in 1 Samuel chapter 8. The first example of we don’t like to give up control is one that kind of says, Well, you know, I know what God really wants for my life. And the second one, times of difficulty, that makes us not trust in God because you know what? I just I gotta pick one of those two pathways. The Israelites in 1 Samuel chapter 8 just said, Nope, we know what’s best for us, and here it is.

In 1 Samuel chapter 8, as all good conversations start, if you read with me in verse 4, then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, Behold, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Pause for laughter. I said, This is how all good conversations start. Now appoint for us a king like all the nations have to judge them. In fact, in verse 6, this thing displeased Samuel when they said, Give us a king to judge us. But of course, what was God’s reaction to this in verse 7? Obey the voice of the people in all that I have said to you, why? For they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.

Israel said, We want a king. We want him to go before us in war. We want him to judge our problems. And God says, That’s not best for you. In fact, notice with me in verse 10, Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king of him. He said, These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you. He will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots, and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plough his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers.

He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servant. He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and his servants. This king will take everything that you have.

Don’t choose a king, it is not wise. Do you notice in this reasoning, Samuel doesn’t even bother to say you’re rejecting God? He tells them, not obviously this was rejecting God. God already saw that, but he doesn’t focus on that. He says, This king is a terrible decision. You will regret it forever. What was the people’s reaction? If you look down in verse 19, the people heard this. They listened to the words of the Lord, they listened to Samuel in verse 19. But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, No. But there shall be a king over us that we may also be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.

And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. The Lord said to Samuel, Obey their voice and make them a king. Samuel said to the people, Go every man to his city. And we know that king turned into Saul. And what happened to the people of Israel as we get to Asa? Just like we read in 1 Kings 15. Who is that king of Israel? Jeroboam. Do you think the people thought it was a great thing that they had King Jeroboam? Maybe at first. What about all the more progressively wicked kings that would follow? What about all the wicked kings and the wars that they would get into? What about the fact that in 2 Chronicles 16, you have Israel and Judah fighting each other and bringing in Syria then to clean up their mess, to kill their brethren?

Sometimes we don’t like to give up control, yes, but it’s not because it’s hard or difficult or the ask is too strong. It’s because we think we know better. We think we know what we need. We might not ever say it like the people of Israel did here in 1 Samuel 8. Yeah, I know God says that, but no, I want a king, but we may live that way. Anytime we know what the will of God is and we make excuses, or we give an example of how it doesn’t apply to me, or how other people live worse than me, we’re saying, I know best. And that will never be the case. In Isaiah chapter 55, verses 8 and 9, you know the passage, how much better are God’s ways than our ways?

4. Stop and Take Perspective of This Moment in Life

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are God’s ways higher than our ways. God knows best. He has proven to us he is reliable, that we should put our trust in him. And he’s shown us time and again that we will be the ones who benefit from trusting in him. We know why it’s difficult because life is hard, because life circles in around us. It wants to choke us out, it wants to make it hard, it wants to make us turn on God. So, how then do we better trust in the Lord starting today? How do we rely on God this very morning? First and foremost, stop and take perspective of this moment in life. There’s all kinds of hills and valleys in life, and of course, the phrase that applies, one phrase that comes to mind that certainly applies is it’s always darkest before the dawn.

When we think about what God has done for us, we have to always remember, even in times of darkness, what God has already shown us in the light. If you’re in a good moment this morning, thank God for it. Look at the scriptures and say, God has blessed me. God is there, he is awesome. And then when we’re in our dark periods, when we’re in the valleys, you know what we need to remember and call back to? God is awesome. God has blessed me, and God is reliable and trustworthy. There’s any number of Old Testament characters that would be served to prove this example. One of them is Joseph. You think about Joseph throughout his life. We know Joseph as one of the twelve sons, and then as second in all of Egypt, but there’s that whole mess in between where he’s in jail for a long period of time and he’s in a pit, and you’ve got to think he’s wondering, why me?

What about Job? We think about Job as wealthy as he is in chapter one and chapter 42, the end of the book of Job, it’s restored. But there’s that whole section from chapter 2 through 41 where Job’s in what condition? Completely miserable. What about King David? We talked about Asa being a king who has a good heart like David. What was David like? We think of him as king, but where was David before he was king? Fleeing for his life, living where? Out of caves. Imagine if you’re David for a moment and you’re in that cave running for your life because you’ve only done what God says. You helped slay Goliath. You’ve done God’s will, you know in part or in full that you’re going to become king.

And then you’re sitting here in a cave trying to not die at the hands of an unjust, crazy lunatic king. Do you think you might say, What gifts? That’s not fair. That’s not right. Why is this happening to me? You know what we would tell David? We wouldn’t tell David, you know, trust in God. We might say that. But what we’d really tell David is hold on. Not only will God be there for you, guess what you’re going to be, David? You’re going to make it through, and you’re going to be king of Israel. How wonderful. How mighty and powerful is God. But you know what happens when I’m in those depths of despair, when I’m in those struggles, when I’m in my cave running for my life?

All I can see is the cave. All I can see is the darkness and the walls around me. I see how Saul’s coming to get me. I see how it’s unfair, how I’m being mistreated. And this didn’t deserve to happen to me. And the truth of the matter is, God is the same God before I was in the cave as He will be when I’m inside it. We have to see our whole life picture and not key in on this one tiny moment. You have to remember what God has shown us in the light, even when we’re in the darkness. I think it’s critical to see that when we take our life as bigger than the here and now, we’re emulating those great heroes of faith.

5. Trust That God Truly Brings Victory and Peace

Do you remember in Hebrews 11, verses 13 through 16? What were they living for? Were they blessed by God in the here and now? Yes, they were. But they weren’t living for this earthly one. They were living for the city whose builder and maker is God. They had a strong faith. They were living as exiles on earth to be citizens in the kingdom of heaven. We have to take perspective this morning. The second thing is perhaps the most clear that the Bible makes time and again, we’ve already seen it both with Asa and even with Jesus in Matthew chapter six trust that God truly brings victory and peace. Because if we are not 100% convinced that God’s way is best, that God’s ways are higher than our ways, his thoughts higher than our thoughts, and that he is reliable and trustworthy, we’ll never pick the option to rely and trust on God.

If you look in Philippians chapter 4, that’s exactly what Paul would do, though. Philippians chapter 4, turn there. One of the most well known Bible passages is found here. Philippians chapter 4. Many of you may know verse 13, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. But note first and foremost, as you go back even to verse 4, Paul says, Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice. Rejoice in the Lord always, Paul. You’ve been shipwrecked. You’ve been beaten. You’ve been left for dead. What do you mean, rejoice in the Lord always? Verse 5, let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God.

And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Notice in verse 10, I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I’m speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am in to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. In verse 13, when Paul says, I can do all things through Christ or through him who strengthens me, is Paul saying, Hey, if you want to fly, you can fly.

No. What is the context? Verse 12. Verse 11. Paul has learned in every situation in times of lacking. In times of abundance, I have learned to be content. Remember verse 4? Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice. Paul went through the worst times that man can face. He went through some of the best. And what he says is, I know that I can live with little, I can live with lots. I have learned to be content because who is there for me? Jesus Christ my Lord. And in verse 7, not only will there be victory, not only will there be food for me when I feel like it’s lacking. In verse 7, there is a peace of God that surpasses all understanding that will guard our hearts and minds.

And again, where is that found? In Christ Jesus, my Lord. This morning, as we think about what it’s like to trust in the Lord, we have to not only stop and say, Am I in my cave? And what does God want for my life? But secondly, that if I do trust in God, it’s worth it. He has shown me he takes care of the nature, he takes care of the birds of the air, the grass of the field. He took care of his people Israel. He took care of his people Judah. He took care of them when they rebelled against him, time and time and time again. And he will take care of me. What a blessing it is to have a God that is reliable and trustworthy.

6. Take Perspective of Eternity

Amen. We have to know that. And it not just be a scholastic fact. We have to live what it means to trust and obey. Consider one final point with me this morning. We have to take perspective of eternity. If you look at Mark chapter 9, look with me in Mark chapter 9. Jesus had some very scary words here. In Mark chapter 9 and verse 43. Again, I don’t think it’s necessarily to be taken literally, although if you had to, it wouldn’t be the worst decision. In Mark chapter 9 and verse 43, if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell to the unquenchable fire. If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.

It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. Verse 47, and if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It’s better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. Jesus says, I want you to stop and think about the cost. Yes, your way and my way may be the same, Jesus says. In John 14 and verse 6, Jesus says, I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Jesus says, you may have a way. You may have a pathway, but what I want you to stop and look at this morning and examine is, is your way worth it?

Because mine’s worth it no matter the cost. If your hand causes you to sin, what do you do with it? Cut it off. Why? It’s better to be with God forever than to have your hand and be in hell. What about your foot? What about your anxiety? What about my worries? What about my disease? What about my government? What about my fears? What about my hopes and dreams? Are any of those worth pulling me away from God? And if the answer is no, why do I let them do that so frequently? Consider this morning that we need to rely on God and that even good people like King Asa will struggle with that. It’s possible to stop relationshiping on God because we don’t want to give up that control of our lives.

Conclusion

When God’s way goes left, I want to go right, and so we leave God. The question is never going to be, is God there for me? The question is always, am I choosing to be with my God? If you don’t feel God’s presence this morning, I want you to ask yourself a simple question. If there’s distance between you and God that didn’t used to be there, who moved? Who put that distance there? Who made it to where God feels so far away? Did God move? Or did I? It is a wonderful and powerful thing to have a God who not only is reliable and trustworthy, but beseeches his people, trust in me. Follow me. I will grant you the peace that surpasses understanding that will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

You only have to trust and rely upon him this morning. If you’re here and you’ve ever become a Christian, recognize that trust, that faith, that victory is foreign to you. Not because God doesn’t want it for you, but because you haven’t availed yourself of our great and powerful God’s great and endless mercy. If you believe in Jesus as the Christ, if you’ll confess that He is Lord and confess of your sins, repent and turn. You can have your sins forgiven in baptism. Or maybe you’re a Christian and you’re like King Asa. You have been wholly devoted to the Lord all your days, but there’s just something about worry. There’s something about anxiety, there’s something about truly trusting in God that has become too difficult and too hard.

And so you need the prayers and the hugs and the hand holding of this congregation. We will pray with you. We will pray for you. Trust in God today. If we can help you in any way, come forward as we stand and sing the invitation song.