34. Trust God

The more I read the Bible, the more I realize that we can truly trust God. He alone knows the future and He alone knows what is best for us. I would like to share one of those 'stories' in the Bible where Jeremiah had to trust God explicitly.

As I am sure you all know, there was a time when the Israelites didn't seek the Lord. One prophet after the other was sent to them to warn them that if they didn't return to God, they would be driven off their land and exiled into a foreign one. They didn't listen of course and in the days of Jeremiah it was dire straits. King Nebuchadnezzar had laid siege to Jerusalem with his mighty Babylonian army. The time had come for God to discipline them. Now Jeremiah kept on warning the people that the city would fall into Babylonian hands and that they shouldn't even try to fight it, but the King and the people would hear none of it. In fact they imprisoned Jeremiah for saying that. Now it was in these terrible circumstances that the Lord told Jeremiah that he should buy the field of his cousin Hanamel. He told Jeremiah to buy it publicly as a declaration that despite the fact that the Babylonians would soon take over Jerusalem and devastate the land, they would one day return and own property again in this land, buying and selling land.

Now imagine you were in his shoes. Let's maybe put it in modern day terms. Imagine you lived in Zimbabwe where the government takes anyone's private property as they please. They don't see your property as your own. If they like it they will definitely take it. Imagine you lived there and God tells you to buy a farm and not only that, you have to pay a very good price for it, the last of your savings. Imagine the uncertainty and the fear you would have. It will be a very stressful situation, because you will never know when they will come and take it away.

I mean here Jeremiah was, he already had nothing, he was imprisoned and now the Lord tells him to buy a piece of land with the little bit of money he still had and to top it off he knew that the land will be worthless as soon as the Babylonians entered Jerusalem. His deed of purchase would be a useless piece of paper, except for one thing. The Lord promised him that it will be valuable again one day. It was the only thing he had to hold on to. A promise from God. And what he did really amazed me, without arguing, without any sour attitude, he simply went ahead and did what the Lord told him. He bought the land and even took the deed of purchase and put it into a pottery jar to preserve it for a long time until the promise was fulfilled. Amazing.

I think if it happened to me I would argue first and tell the Lord that it definitely did not make any sense to buy the land. I think I would seriously consider bargaining with the Lord and try to get out of the deal. Or at best pay a way below market price for the land if I really have to. But not Jeremiah, no, he obeyed and acted without any hesitation.

We need to be like Jeremiah, we need to trust God completely. I know it isn't easy to believe that the 'impossible' promises that God made to you will ever come to pass, but nothing in life worth waiting for is easy. Nothing worthwhile just falls on your lap. It requires obedience to God's Voice. Sometimes you need to wait a long time for the promises to be fulfilled and sometimes you need to be obedient when He speaks to you. But know this, you can trust in Him. Everything will work out for the good of those who love and trust in Him. May God bless you abundantly as you walk in His ways and follow His Voice.

Father God, please help us to obey You. It isn't always easy, and it requires faith from our side, but please help us to follow Your Voice and not our own. You know best and we are thankful for it. In Jesus' Name. Amen

 

3 comments for “34. Trust God”

  1. Gravatar of RonelleRonelle
    Posted Friday, 24 February 2012 at 8:44:12 AM

    Most interesting, Ilze. It is only through reading the word that you come across these precious pieces. We must learn from this to be like children that trust their father, because He know what is best for His beloved children.

  2. Gravatar of MadelMadel
    Posted Friday, 24 February 2012 at 11:31:54 AM

    Thanks for the reminder that we can really trust in a God that will never let us down. I needed to hear it again today!

  3. Gravatar of Louina Louina
    Posted Wednesday, 29 February 2012 at 9:30:42 AM

    It is so true and we have so many stories of trust that became true and blessed. If only other people will beleive when we tell them our stories. It is so frustrating when you see someone battling and you know the awnser, just trust God! And then, after you told your passionate story, you can see they are not going to take it to heart. So sad..

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