Do you really trust God? How so? Can you tell someone what it means to trust Creator?
Watching the fires ravage the hills surrounding Colorado Springs (a place I stood just a seven weeks prior), I wonder how many of these individuals who were evacuated--many losing their homes to the flames-- had been trusting God to protect them and their property. Or the folks in Florida who experienced flooding from Tropical Storm Debbie or those who suffered property damage and loss of power during the terrible heat wave across the Eastern United States. Did they trust God to keep their homes and businesses dry and keep the electricity on?
When things are going well and we have all we need and even want, it is easy to say "I trust God to take care of me." But when things are tough and it appears He's not taking care of us, can we still trust God, the Creator of the universe, to care for us?
Millions of people across North America have been struggling to survive. Many have lost their jobs and their homes. Some have had to find shelter with family or friends. Many have used up whatever savings they had in order to put food on the table and don't know about tomorrow. Times are tough and in spite of what politicians are telling us, signs that it's going to return to normal just don't seem to be turning out that way.
So what exactly does it mean to trust God or "live by faith"? Readers of Indian Life may or may not be aware that this publication is a "faith-supported" ministry. But what does this mean?
Well, to put it in the simplest terms, it means just that -- living by faith. The Bible tells us that faith is "being sure we will get what we hope for. It is being sure of what we cannot see" (Hebrews 11:1).
Indian Life Ministries has been operating like this for almost 34 years. As we look back over those years, we know that God has brought us through some difficult times.
Yes, it's true that we sell subscriptions to Indian Life and people buy our books and resources, but what we receive basically only covers the cost of producing them. Our day-to-day operation -- "our daily bread" -- comes from people like you who partner with God to see that we are able to continue sharing Good News across Native North America.
Our staff members also live by faith. We, too, are dependent on God, acting through His people to meet our financial needs.
On a personal side, the last six months have been quite stressful for my wife and me as we never know from one month to the next what our income will be. We pray that God will multiply our "loaves and fishes" but we're never really sure how God will answer. I'm sure many of you have been in similar circumstances or worse.
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At those times, my trust in God was very weak. I began to doubt whether or not I could continue to depend on Him to get us through. Again my wife reminded me that I’ve been living “by faith” my whole life (Growing up in a missionary family, I was born into a “living by faith” lifestyle).
But even though God has been faithful my entire life, there were times when I didn’t know if I could trust Him to take care of us.
To be really honest, I dislike it when people sling bible verses around flippantly or when they make comments like “Oh just trust God,” “ Lean on Him,” or “Put your hope in God.”
I don’t doubt for a second that these statements are true and that these people mean well. But I’d like to hear more examples of these statements in action and see how God is going to do “over and above what we could ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20).
My sister recently gave me a book entitled Simple Trust, Simple Prayers by Cindy Mallin. It relates the incredible story of George Mueller, a man totally dependent on God to supply his needs. He ran several orphanages and never told anyone of his needs. He relied completely on God to take care of his children.
If Mueller lived today, I doubt he would have Facebook or Twitter accounts or even a Website for his orphanages. He didn’t do any kind of fund raising and never talked about his needs. He relied totally on God to provide. And God did but often it was at the very last moment.
During Mueller’s lifetime, over eight million dollars flowed through his hands solely through his faith and prayer. And his orphans never were without food, clothing or shelter.
Did Mueller ever doubt God’s promise to provide? Of course he did. But he never gave up his hope and belief that God is true to His word and keeps His promises. And he never stopped asking God.
There’s a big difference between believing in God and trusting (depending on) God.
So what are you going through today? Is your life in shambles, your house burned to the ground or your marriage falling apart? If you are feeling like no one cares and God has forgotten you, remember He hasn’t, and He never will.
After all these years, I’m still learning how to take God at His Word.
