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Sep 30, 2018

Deliberate Trust in God

Deliberate Trust in God

Passage: Psalms 131:1-3

Speaker: Dennis Gallaher

Series: The Believer's Journey

Category: Sunday Morning

Maturity is trusting God’s heart more than His hand. It is moving beyond the milk and taking in the solid food of God’s providence, His sovereignty and the great invaluable lessons of suffering.

Psalm 131

1) O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; 

Nor do I involve myself in great matters, 

Or in things too difficult for me.

2) Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; 

Like a weaned child rests against his mother, 

My soul is like a weaned child within me.

3) O Israel, hope in the Lord

From this time forth and forever.

The three short verses in Psalm 131 include:

  • A declaration: “I have been humbled.”
  • A position: “I have moved beyond infancy and on to maturity.”
  • A determination: “Don’t even doubt God’s everlasting love – Hope in Him!”

Overall, the psalm is a lesson in maturity.

 Hebrews 5:12-14

12) For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 

13) For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. 

14) But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. 

Refusing to be weaned:

Those who refuse to be weaned are incapable of living lives that are upright, morally sound, free of guilt and shame or according to God’s ways. Their growth in character and holiness is stunted. Why? Because they are refusing God’s manna of grace – the solid food of maturity.

The key to this kind of maturity goes back to Psalm 131:1, “Nor do I involve myself in great matters or in things too difficult for me.”

Psalm 10:1 “Why do you stand afar off, O Lord? Why do you hide in times of trouble?”

Job found himself in the same position only 100 times worse. The pain and suffering of that one man’s life was intense beyond our own comprehension. Job suffered for the sake of all who would follow. He was being used! Used to instruct and point the way.

What did Job’s friends say about this suffering?

  • It’s the result of wrongdoing.
  • You just need to repent.
  • God is punishing you.
  • You deserve worse.

What is important is not people’s opinions but what God says!

God answers in our struggles – in the whirlwind.

Job 38:1 "Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said . . "

God answered Job out of the whirlwind. God doesn’t give him answers. God gives him wisdom. On and on it goes . . . For truth and wisdom that is too difficult for me. God doesn’t say, “Don’t ask.” He doesn’t say to just accept and shut up. Instead He says, “Trust Me – Seek and know my heart, my everlasting love, peace beyond circumstances . . . “

What is maturity?

It is trusting God’s heart more than His hand. It is moving beyond the milk and taking in the solid food of God’s providence, His sovereignty and the great invaluable lessons of suffering. It is Psalm 131, “Lord, I have been humbled by your everlasting love. I am no longer proud, nor are my eyes haughty.”

There are many things that we do not and will not understand on this side of eternity.

But maturity says, “Lord, my hope is in You, not in my abilities or knowledge.”

Have you ever said to God “Why are you doing this to me?”

Where have you moved from infancy to maturity in your trust in God?

Is there an area that God is saying to depend on Him, to hope in Him, instead of your own ability?