In God We Trust

Hello, it's good to be meeting with you again. Next Sunday will be our first Sunday back with face-to-face worship. Hope to see many of you there spread the word to others that we will be back. So please be there and we can enjoy that time of worshipping together.

I said that's our main announcement is that we will be back next cedr little early for 10. We won't have any adult or children's Sunday school, but we will be having worship, but I'll arrive early and we will get you into your pubes and get all that going and we do have some mask available here at the church made by some ladies in the church. So if you don't have a mask you'll have one if it makes more comfortable, but you are not required to wear a mask that you are certainly free to do. So if you want to I looking at our Joyce concerns remember those in Are nursing care facilities? I continue to pray for healing for Ron sticky Jim Schuler Helen Myers and others and our service members and also remembering the families of those who have lost loved ones. Charlene amsted some family Alice Hershey and family and Rob Van Der Hart and his family recently losing his brother.

You know, it's on our money in God we trust but how much do we actually trust in God? Yeah, it's been talking a lot. The last few weeks about how our comfort can come from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and this week I want to shift. A little bit to a focus on why we can trust Scott.

And other things that we have learned in this experience with covid-19 is that we have to learn to trust God. There are too many unknown things about this virus then why do some people get sick While others don't why do some of those who get sick recover and some do not doctors and health professionals have such vastly different opinions about the virus and how to respond. What is the future going to look like as we learn to live with it? Basically, how has this pandemic changed our world? And all the things that we cannot know about this virus about this life. The one thing that brings us hope and Assurance is what we know about God. We know that God is present. We know that he is Holy. We know that he is all-powerful and we know that he can be trusted.

Like I said last week we talked about how Jesus tried to comfort his disciples in their distress before and after his crucifixion with the fact that they knew him and can trust him. Today, I want us to think about why we can trust God. You know when you hold your Bible in your hands when you're reading it, you hold the wisdom of God Through the Ages. You're able to hear word from him simply by opening the pages and reading. It's an awesome privilege. Our passage for this morning is in Proverbs chapter 3 verses 5 and 6. It 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 path straight. Trust is something that we must decide to do. Is our response to what we know and love about God requires our heart. It is out of devotion that we give our lives to Him scripture promises that if we seek God's will he will show us the path to take in our lives. Some things we experience may make it difficult to feel trust in God but notice that this person is not tell us to feel close to God. In fact, it tells us to look beyond our field. Depend on your own understanding instead seek God's input in your life and believe what he has given you in his work. When bad things happen or when we give in to Temptation or when we have tried to do everything right and it's still his produce struggles. All of those are times when trusting God seems hard. But the Lord understands these things and he will remain with us while we try to figure it out. Corrie Ten Boom famously said never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.

Going to lie to you and say that this will be easy trusting. God can be a real challenge, but there are many reasons why you should trust him. Looking through the scriptures. There are several expressions of faith that teaches why we can trust God.

First reason is that we should trust God because nothing is too hard for him. Jeremiah chapter 32 verse 17 says a sovereign Lord you have made the heavens and the Earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for me. For Jeremiah chapter 32 verses 26 27 says in the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. I am the Lord the God of all mankind is anything too hard for me? Author John Piper assembled a list of works of the Lord. This is no an exhaustive list, but it's a pretty solid list that gives you the general idea of the power in the work. I've got John Piper wrote that God created the universe out of nothing. Turn Lot's wife into a pillar of salt. I parted the Waters of the Red Sea. Got rain down bread from the sky and brought forth water from the rock gods through a hundred eighty-five thousand Assyrian soldiers to save his people. Cause Raven you bring His prophets food. God made the jar of oil keep on flowing until the famine was over. Shut the lion's mouth protect. Daniel got enabled a virgin to give birth to a child. Can cleanse lepers in healed the lame and gave sight to the Blind and hearing to the deaf Gods had 5,000 with a few Loaves and fish. God raised Lazarus from the dead to find a Coin in a fish's mouth to be able to pay his taxes.

Is anything too hard for the Lord the Bible teaches that we can trust God because nothing is too difficult for him. If anything quickly running to this list and seeing all the various places that it's in Scripture. It should. peace knowing that despite all these different situations no matter what they were. God is able to provide for his people in those situations.

Another reason that we can trust God is we trust God because he is your Shepherd.

As we've talked about as we talked about this earlier, you know Shepherd is in charge of a flock he feeds them. He protects them. He'll eat them God is our Shepherd. God is caring for us. He's loving us and he's leading us. Psalm 23 Expressions as beautifully as the Lord is my shepherd I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in Green Pastures. He leads me beside Quiet Waters. He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his namesake, even though I walk through the darkest Valley I will fear no evil for you are with me your rod and your staff. They comfort you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies you anoint my head with oil my cup overflows surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Brought comfort and strength to Untold Millions over the centuries. It reminds us to put our trust and faith in God who cares loves and leads us to the most difficult Days of Our Lives. As our Shepherd it concerns him when we wander away from the truth away from his presence as it says in Matthew chapter 9 verse 36 when he saw the crowds he had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. As our Shepherd Jesus gave his life for our protection as it says in John 10:11. I am the Good Shepherd the Good Shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.

As our Shepherd Jesus knows it says it says in John 10:14. I am the Good Shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me. He knows our hurt. You knows our strength. He knows our weaknesses and he knows our needs.

We can also trust God because he is our helper.

Yeah, but not want to go through this pandemic experience without the help of God.

I am concerned for those who have yet to give their lives to Christ mean. How are they coping with all the stress and anxiety of covid-19 and the resulting Life Changes. I think we've seen how they're coping by some of the chaos that we've seen our society lately is an upheaval of our society. But those who trust in God have a Divine helper who will give them strength to overcome survive and thrive each day. No matter what's going on in the world around us.

Psalm 121 reminds us where our strength comes from. I lift my eyes to the mountains. Where does my help come from my help comes from the Lord the maker of heaven and Earth. He will not let your foot slip He Who Watches Over you will not Slumber and deed He Who Watches Over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Lord Watches Over You the Lord is your shade at your right hand the sun will not harm you by day nor the Moon by Night the Lord will keep you from all harm. He will watch over your the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Another reason that we can trust God is because his mercies are new every morning.

Lamentations chapter 3 verses 22 through 24 says because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed. For his compassions never fail. They are new every morning great is your faithfulness. I say to myself the Lord is my portion. Therefore. I will wait for him. a little further on in that Passage It says though, he brings grief. He will show compassion. So great is his unfailing love.

This is comforting that we can never exhaust the mercies of God every morning when we wake up. They are as fresh in his newest. We need them to be.

Aren't you glad that God's mercies never come to an end. This is why we can put hope in him and why we can trust him God's love is unfailing and unending.

Can also trust God because he knows you. There's nothing about you that God does not know he is aware of all your struggles. He knows when you have experienced Victory. He knows when you have felt the sting of defeat. He knows your thoughts. He knows your words before you speak them. And yet he still loves you deeply. So if you ever experience fear, where are anxiety or stress over covid-19 or any other situation that's going on in your life. Think that God is unhappy with you or displease. God's love goes beyond our weakness. As it says in Psalm 139 verses 1 through 7. You have searched me Lord, and you know me, you know, when I sit and when I Rise you perceive my thoughts from afar you discern my going out and my lying down you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue Lord, you know it completely you hem me in behind and before and you lay your hand upon me such knowledge is too wonderful for me too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

You can also trust God because he makes you strong. Our strength is not in ourselves, but in the God we loved and served. I'm so glad that I did not have to fight the spiritual battles on my own. In fact, I can't do it on my own. I need our strong God to give me the heart to go on. Isaiah chapter 40 verses 28 through 31 we read about this. Do you not know have you not heard the Lord is the Everlasting God the creator of the ends of the Earth. He will not grow tired or weary and his understanding no one can fathom the strength to the weary and increases the power of the week. Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall, but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles they will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint.

You can also trust God because he cannot forget you.

As it says in Isaiah chapter 49 verses 14 through 16, but science said the Lord has forsaken me the Lord has forgotten me can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child. She has borne though. She may forget I will not forget. You see I have engraved you on the palms of my hands. Your walls are ever before me.

I know in the midst of all this pandemic stuff and how long is dragged out? It seems like God may have forgotten Us in this Faraway when we are struggling and hurting sometimes we just do not understand the things that happened to us in this life.

I know you must continue to rely on and remember what we know about God that we can trust him. Philip Yancey Road that I have learned that faith means trusting in advance that you will only make sense in reverse. Sometimes we don't always understand what God is doing until we get past it and we look back. The truth is that God is very near and he has not forgotten us at all. We are engraved on his hand. And hopefully God is engraved on your heart and he can lead you through all this. Another author JRR Stott road that faith is a reasoning trust a trust which reckons softly and confidently upon the trustworthiness of God.

Do you have any doubt about the trustworthiness of God just opened his word and let it speak to you about his unfailing love. Psalm 147:11 says the Lord Delights in those who fear Him who put their hope in his unfailing love. May you find Hope in God and trust that he's going to continue to take care of you provide for you to listen to you and guide you through the situation. Please bear with me in prayer. Most gracious Heavenly Father. We thank you for all the blessings. You've given us. We thank you for how you provided for us as individuals and a church during this pandemic and Lord as we come back together to worship face to face. I pray that you will just bless us and keep us safe and help us to trust you and large be able to gather together without fear play the song all in your most. Holy name. Amen. Benediction on continue to use our verses of 1st Peter 5:7 cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Hebrews 10:39 what we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed those who have faith and are saved. Every trust that God is working with us every day. Amen.