Trust God for Everything

 "14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?" James 2:14(NLT)

by Alexandra Copeland

Most of us are familiar with the account in Numbers, chapter 13. God gave instruction to Moses to send 12 men, one leader from each of the tribes of the Children of Israel, to spy out the land He promised to give them. Some folks might ask why it was necessary to spy out the land if God had already promised to gift it to them. We live in a world where many of our expectations and line of thought about receiving blessings have their roots in movies and fairytales. The work, energy, and strategy that is sometimes needed to take possession are often missed. In our rush to get to the good part, some of us align our maneuvering more on the side of wishful thinking than on the side of operating by faith.  

Jesus Christ is very big on obedience, humility, and a child-like faith. In John 14:15 (ESV) he said, “If you love me, obey my commandments.” In Matthew 18:4-5 (NLT) he said, “4 I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. 5 So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” And in Luke 18:17 (NLT), Jesus Christ said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Obedience, humility, and a child-like faith should embody our approach to trusting God for everything.

If God says something, then it must be so. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Our response for having received His divine promise and directives must be one of gratitude, and then action. James 2:14(NLT) asks a very important question, "14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?" Our intention should be to follow through in faith and in obedience to God with actions that line up with His Word.

As the record bears out, the condition of the hearts of the Children of Israel was one of fear. The report that ten of the leaders that were sent to survey or spy out the land God had given them was a very bad one. In Numbers 13:27-28 (NLT), they reported to Moses and the crowd, “27 We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large.” Caleb and Joshua did not see the size of the people as a deterrent. They were convinced that God would empower the Children of Israel to go in and possess the land that He had given them. Numbers 13:30 (NLT) tells us, “But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!”

 

The other leaders were too afraid to proceed further. They disagreed with Caleb and Joshua, and said in verse 31, “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!” These were the same people that God had rescued out of the hands of the Egyptians. They witnessed God perform many miracles on their behalf. He parted the Red Sea so they’d be able to walk through it. Heavenly Father fed them manna from heaven while they were in the wilderness; it was so nutritious that none of them died or became ill during that time. They saw the powerful hand of God working to protect and care for them, but when they heard the report of those sent to survey the Promise Land, they cowered in fear. 

Of course, God knew this would be the condition of their hearts. He knew they lacked courage, and therefore would not be obedient to His Word. Their unwillingness to move out with a courageous commitment to believe and trust Him was a testament of their inability to steward the blessing of the promise. God would not have left them to fin for themselves; He had proven this time and time again. Psalm 37:23 (NLT) affirms, “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” He would have had a firm grip on their hands, leading them every step of the way. All they needed to do was to trust Him by taking that first step. 

One of the things we do when we’re faced with what we perceive as staggering adversity is forget the goodness of God. We forget all the other times He has rescued us and kept our feet from falling. Some of us even trivialize it. We get amnesia and begin to make it more about our own effort and less about the overwhelming care, strength, and power that God used on our behalf. Some of us will even get angry, like the Children of Israel did. Numbers 14:3 tells us they wanted to stone Moses, his brother, Aaron, and the two courageous leaders, Joshua and Caleb. 

Sometimes we see people taking their rightful place of authority in Christ, and we become angry or frustrated with them. They move with an energy of confidence that magnetizes their environments and causes the attention of blessings and goodness to turn in their direction. The discerning factor with them is that they are not struck with amnesia. They know that God has their backs, that He will never leave them or forsake them. They are poised to seize His blessings because they are obedient to His Word. They are humble, which means they are teachable and flexible. When He says go left, they go left. When He says go right, they go right. Jesus Christ declared in John 10:27 that his sheep know his voice. So, destiny chasers are careful to listen for his directions, so that they don’t miss a beat. 

We might see them moving in tandem with the unction of the Holy Spirit, and like the Children of Israel, it might ignite within us feelings of jealousy or resentment. We shouldn’t be mad at those that are pursuing God’s heart and trusting Him like nobody’s business. And to be quite honest, we aren’t really. We’re actually angry at ourselves because our fear to breach the walls of our comfort zones has stifled us and kept us from answering the call of our souls. We ought to be capturing our God-given destiny instead of cowering in fear. We ought to be trusting God for everything, in every situation, and at all times. Nothing should stop us from moving out in faith. 

If you’ve ever had the opportunity to witness children playing freely, you’ll see how unafraid they are to stretch boundaries and take risks. A child-like faith comes very easy for them and they just believe. They haven’t witnessed God move in the way we have. They don’t know Him as we do, but still they trust. This is the heart and mind that Heavenly Father is looking for in us. We know His goodness. We know that He’s our strength, and that all things are possible through Him. So, we should never allow ourselves to forget His goodness. At all times, we must let the Holy Spirit guide us, be obedient to God, and move in faith to possess what He has promised. ■ 

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.