We Are Blessed When We Trust In The Lord

  • “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.” Psalms‬ ‭40:4‬ ‭NIV‬‬‭

  • We are blessed when we trust in the Lord. But what does it mean to be “blessed”? I like this definition from Got Questions, “Blessed speaks of our inner state of well-being, the prosperity of our souls in Christ. Blessedness comes from unhindered fellowship with God the Father through our Lord Jesus. To be blessed is to experience the full impact of God’s presence in our lives now and for all eternity.” 
  • For us to be blessed, our  trust must be in the Lord. So I ask myself, who or what am I placing my trust in? In the Old Testament, the Lord warned against worshiping idols. Putting our trust or hope in anything or anyone other than Him. We are to love Him with our whole heart.
  • I’ve also noticed, especially in the Old Testament, Sometimes the word Lord is all caps, sometimes just the “L”, and sometimes not at all! So I did a little research. In this Psalm it’s Lord. “Lord” can refer to God’s name, “Adonai”. “Adonai” is “Master over all”(Tony Evans, Praying Through The Names of God). So, to experience God’s presence and impact in our lives; to be blessed,  we need to trust in the Lord,  the one who is Master over all, Adonai! 
  • Proverbs 3:5-6 says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”(NIV)
  • So, what does it mean to trust in the Lord with all your heart? Is there any lingering doubt that keeps us from fully trusting Him? Jesus said to Thomas, after His resurrection, Stop doubting and believe. (See John 20:27). I feel this is what Jesus is saying to me as well. When I lean on my own understanding, I'm in control, I want things to go the way I want. Have the scenarios all figured out. I "know" How things will go down. But I don't. My vision is cloudy. My perspective on things is off. My own understanding gets me into trouble. To "Trust in the Lord with all your heart", for me, means surrendering my need to control the situation or its outcome. Surrendering the need for things to happen on my time line. Trusting that God is in control and He is working all things for my good. (Romans 8:28). Isaiah 55:8-9, talks about how God's ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts. And as Moses reminded the Israelites, in Exodus 14:14, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.””
  • This Psalm also tells us who NOT to turn to. We are not to “look to    the proud or those who turn aside to false gods”. In other words, someone who is “worldly”, who doesn’t point us to Jesus but rather to the way the “world” says we should live or respond. Who doesn’t have our best interest at heart but has no problem leading us astray. We are to be careful who we take advice from. Who we listen to. Are they a godly person? Do they point us to God and encourage us to pray and seek His will? Do they have our best interest at heart? These are just a few things to consider because sometimes we need someone’s help in discerning how or what the Lord is asking us. 
  • So let us hold to what Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 2:5(ESV), “that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”, that we may be blessed 🙂


 

Comments

  1. KateJune 20, 2024 at 9:50 AM

    This reminds me how much my sister's in Christ improve my life by encouraging my faith and covering me in prayer.

    ReplyDelete

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