The Logic of Trust

Exodus 15:22…Then Moses led(Lit caused Israel to journey) Israel from the Red Sea (Lit Sea of Reeds), and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water.

Read…Exodus 15:23…When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink. So they called the place Marah (which means “bitter”).……Then the people complained and turned against Moses. …Exodus 15:24-26… 24So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?" 25Then he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet.…There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them. 26And He said, "If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer."……Reflect…As the Israelites encountered danger, shortages, and inconvenience, they complained bitterly and longed to be back in Egypt. They just wanted life to get a little easier. Going back to Egypt seemed like the quickest way of escape. But through their hardships, God was teaching Israel to obey and trust him.……After God powerfully delivered the people through the Red Sea, trusting him should have been pretty easy. Yet the people complained against God, revealing their distrust …Exodus 15:24. …Then they did it again …Exodus 16:2-3…2 The whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.3 The sons of Israel said to them, "Would that we had died by the Lord's hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots ofmeat, when we ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger."…And again …Exodus 17:2…2 Therefore the people quarrelled with Moses and said, "Give us water that we may drink." And Moses said to them, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?"…Nonetheless, God patiently provided food and water for them …Exodus 15:25…25 Then he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet.There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them.

…Exodus 16:4…4 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in Myinstruction.…Exodus 17:5-6…5 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it that the people may drink." And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

In each situation, God asked the people to obey him …By obeying, the people would see that they could trust him.……Our logic says that trust comes first, then obedience. But in these stories, God reverses it. Obedience comes first, and trust follows. Our obedience becomes an opportunity to see that God is trustworthy.……God promised that if the people obeyed him, they would not suffer from the diseases that plagued the Egyptians …Exodus 15:26…26And He said, "If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer."…God promised to meet the Hebrews’ need for food in the desert, but he wanted to see if they would obey his detailed instructions to see if they trusted him …Exodus 16:4-5, 23…4 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in Myinstruction.5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily."…………23 then he said to them, "This is what the Lordmeant: Tomorrow is a Sabbath observance, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left overput aside to be kept until morning."

We learn to trust God only by obeying.

Respond

What are you facing that requires trusting God? …Are you avoiding following him in obedience first?…What would you be risking that you’re afraid of losing? …Acknowledge your fears to God and ask him for the desire to take the risk anyway.

The Wheelbarrow of Trust

Isaiah 12:2…"Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid;…For the Lord God is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation."…… Most of us struggle to "be anxious for nothing," but we can learn to rely on God if we know the difference between faith and trust.

Let's imagine you're near the beautiful but dangerous Niagara Falls. A circus performer has strung a rope across the falls with the intention of pushing a wheelbarrow from one side to the other. Just before stepping on the rope, he asks you, "Do you think I can accomplish this feat?"

His reputation has preceded him, so you reply that you believe he can walk the tightrope. In other words, you have faith that he will succeed. Then he says, "If you really believe I can do it, how about getting in the wheelbarrow and crossing with me?" Accepting his invitation would be an example of remarkable trust.

It isn't difficult for some people to believe that God is capable of performing mighty deeds. After all, He created the entire universe. Trust, however, requires that we depend on Him to keep His promises to us even when there is no proof that He will. It's not so easy to get into that wheelbarrow and put our lives in His care. Yet it's a step we must take if we are to "be anxious for nothing" in all of life's circumstances.

Just between us

Dear Lord, You alone are worthy of our complete trust. But responding to You in trust is often difficult. Teach us to trust You-to lean on Your strength, to count on Your goodness, and to expect Your faithfulness always. Amen.