Trust

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je3lmscEkBc

Arrows (I Will be with You) ~ Bethel Music, We the Kingdom

 

Blessed is the man who makes
    the Lord his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
    to those who go astray after a lie!

~ Psalm 40:4 ESV

 

What do you trust?

Most of us trust many things without even realizing it: our furniture to hold up when we sit or lay down, our electricity and water to turn on, the sun to rise and set, our money to be in the bank, etc. What happens when that trust is betrayed? How do we respond when circumstances are drastically changed, and we don’t even know what we can trust?

 

Psalm 40:4 says, “Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust.” The word, “trust” means, “refuge, security, confidence,” (H4009 - Miḇṭāḥ - Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (Kjv), n.d.). We find a sense of security in a great number of things, very few being a complete trust in the Lord. But the things in which we take refuge and comfort—like our seat at church, the dollar amount in the bank, our address, our relationships, or even the condition of our Bibles [mine’s currently falling apart]—are all fleeting and eventually give out, get used up, or fade away into a distant memory. The only true thing we can trust is Jesus’ love and faithfulness toward us.

 

When I looked up verses on the Lord being my trust, several verses included statements about the Lord being my refuge, strength, and shield. When we make something fleeting the source of our trust, we are binding ourselves to it. When it disappears, so does our sense of security. However, because the Lord is unchanging and unending, so is the seat of our trust and security when we center our lives around Him and make His words—His promises—the core of our security. Then, nothing will stop, shake, or move us!

 

Lately, I’ve been studying Peter and his faith before and after jumping out of the boat to walk towards Jesus. When I make the Lord my trust, as Peter did, then I can walk by faith—even walk on water—because then I won’t even see the water.

I will only see Jesus, my trust.

©Heather Potts 2023

A Ready Heart

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9UB5U7kSec&start_radio=1&list=RDz9UB5U7kSec

Behold ~ Hillsong

And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” ~ Matthew 14:28 NKJV

We all love inspiring stories. They move us. The Bible is full stories like Ester and David and Goliath. At the base of these stories is a call from God and a ready heart.

Many of my friends are in a time of prayer and fasting. One thing a fast does is make your heart ready. It prepares you to not just hear from God, but to respond. Each fast is for a season and each season prepares you for the calling in the next.

I’ve been thinking a lot about Peter and his eagerness to jump out of the boat and go toward Jesus. Yes, we know when Peter turned his gaze from Jesus, he began to sink. But the initial eagerness came from a prepared heart—one that had been in the presence of his Lord and drank deeply of His teaching.

You’ll never be able to dream up all the possible requests God will make of you. But it’s less about His requests and more about the readiness of your heart. Matthew 12 says, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks,” (v34 NKJV). A ready heart says, “Yes, Lord.”

One day, likely when you least expect it, the Lord will call. Will your heart be ready? How will you respond?

Father, I pray that we would all make being in Your presence our priority. Prepare us. Help us to be made ready to respond when You call. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. ~ Matthew 14:29 NKJV

©Heather Potts 2019