How to Actually Trust in God
“So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all his enemies, and he provided for them on every side” 2 Chronicles 32: 22.
Hezekiah’s Defense
In this chapter King Hezekiah defends Jerusalem against an Assyrian invasion led by king Sennacherib. Hezekiah fortified the city and encouraged Israel to trust God rather than fear their enemies.
Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah prayed for deliverance, and God answered by sending an angel to destroy the Assyrian army. This forced Sennacherib to retreat in humiliation.
To read the entire passage, click here.
God will always save us from our enemies- sin and suffering- and He will take care of us when we look to and trust in Him and not sin, to do it.
Sin Is an Attempt to Save Ourselves
Sin is an attempt to save and take care of ourselves, so we don’t have to trust God to do it. But when we trust sin rather than God, we will not be saved. . . or taken care of.
It’s much harder to trust God than our sin. But when we do, we will be delivered. The reason it’s so hard is because trusting God often looks like a threat to our well-being, as in this case.
Sennacherib said to the men of Israel: “‘Is not Hezekiah misleading you, that he may give you over to die by famine and by thirst, when he tells you, “The Lord our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria’”2 Chronicles 32: 11?
Trust In God Feels Like a Threat
To tithe when you can barely make ends meet as it is looks like a threat to your well-being. If I can’t pay my bills now, how will ever be able to if I start tithing? It’s a logical question. That’s why obedience requires trust.
We simply have to do it, and trust that God is going to “save” and “provide for us”, as He did Hezekiah.
One of the areas where I had to learn this was as a new nurse at the bedside. I was terrified of making mistakes. And if I made a mistake that could threaten my job, I had to admit it. And trust that God was going to “save” and “provide for” me if I own up to it. To read my story click here.
Again, it was logical to think I had no choice but to cover it up to save my job. But God saves those who show they trust Him by doing what’s right and being obedient. Even if doing so isn’t in their best interest.
Trust In God Isn’t Logical
Our mind, or the devil will whisper the same things to us that Sennacherib did to Israel when we attempt to resist the enemy of our soul.
But notice that resisting the enemy and doing what’s right alone still isn’t enough to be saved! We must also do as Hezekiah did when he “prayed because of this and cried to heaven” (2 Chronicles 32: 21).
Then and only then, will our enemy “. . . return with shame of face to his own land” (2 Chronicles 32: 21), as Sennacherib did.
Mathew 6: 33 tells us to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you”. In other words, if we choose to do what’s right and be obedient, all our needs will be met. And we’ll be provided for.
This is just the opposite of how it appears. As we’ve seen, to trust God looks like a threat to our well-being. And without supernatural intervention, it probably is.
But the Spirt tells in this verse that we will be delivered and taken care of, just as Hezekiah was.
To read another post related to see The Afflictions of the Righteous: Through the Sea of Suffering.