Preschool
He delivereth me from mine enemies. Psalm 18:48
Better to Trust in God
Memory Verses
Primary
The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. Psalm 34:17
Junior
Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your yeart, all ye that hope in the Lord. Psalm 31:24
Background Scripture: 2 Chronicles 14–16
Lesson Scripture: 2 Chronicles 14:8–12; 15:1–2; 16:2–4, 7–9
Introduction
God is well able to deliver those who trust in Him. However, society around us, peer pressure, or our own weakness might influence us to look elsewhere for help and security. Young Christians may, because of inexperience, feel a greater need for God’s help than older ones; youths may be more ready to rely on Him. As we grow older, our tendency is to lean on our prior experience and past success, causing us to be self-confident.
It is common knowledge among Christians that it is best to trust God, but this is not always easy to do. God knows too that our best recourse is to trust Him, but we must choose whether we will do so. By nature, we are inclined to walk according to our own opinions and judgment. Sometimes it takes very little for us to realize we are going on our own and that we need a course correction. Other times we might go quite a while before we realize we are not trusting God and finding in Him our direction and security. Faith and trust in God are the remedy for worry and undue agonizing over the things we are powerless to change.
The aim in the discussions of this lesson should be to promote trust in God, taking note of the blessings of this trust. A misplaced trust will always be disappointing.
Key Verse
Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord! (Isa. 31:1).
Lesson Scripture
2 Chronicles 14:8 And Asa had an army of men that bare targets and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bare shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand: all these were mighty men of valour.
9 And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came unto Mareshah.
10 Then Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.
11 And Asa cried unto the Lord his God, and said, Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O Lord our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O Lord, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee.
12 So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled.
15:1 And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded:
2 And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.
16:2 Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the Lord and of the king’s house, and sent to Ben-hadad king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying,
3 There is a league between me and thee, as there was between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent thee silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me.
4 And Ben-hadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel; and they smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-maim, and all the store cities of Naphtali.
7 And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand.
8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the Lord, he delivered them into thine hand.
9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.
Studying the Lesson
King Asa was, for the most part, a commendable king for the first ten years of his reign. When he became aware of the Ethiopian host which, by human reasoning, was an insurmountable army, he sincerely called on God for help. He acknowledged that there was no other reliable source of help in their dire circumstances. The Lord performed a great miracle and completely delivered them from their enemies.
Afterwards, God sent the prophet Azariah to compliment him for his faith in God, especially considering his ominous circumstances. The reward for trusting in God for the king and the people of Judah was a lengthy period of peace, based on their trust and obedience to God.
However, with the passing of time, Asa faced a new test, perhaps more difficult than the earlier one. This time Baasha, king of the northern kingdom, revolted against Judah. Unfortunately, for reasons that are not clear, Asa did not call on God but followed his own judgment. It appears like his plan was successful, but it was not God’s way.
This time a message from God came to Asa by Hanani the seer. The essence of the message was that because he had foolishly sought the help of a pagan king rather than trusting in God, the promise of peace was revoked and years of war and conflict would prevail. Instead of humbling himself, Asa flew into a rage. It appears that he stubbornly refused to humble himself and admit his failure. This was an additional mistake to his initial failure to ask God for direction. This restricted potential healing and future blessings. Although the Bible says that “the heart of Asa was perfect all his days” (2 Chron. 15:17), God was not pleased with his belligerence.
When we meet conditions in life that are difficult, we must choose whether to have faith in God and trust Him for direction or follow our human reasoning and earthly counsel. If we choose the latter, we will encounter problems and defeat just like Asa did. However, the truth of many Bible promises is that if we humble ourselves and admit our lack of trust, God is faithful and just to forgive us (1 John 1:9). We can then be recipients of his undeserved mercy,
Practical Truths for Today
In Proverbs 3:5 we find some cardinal advice from Solomon to his son, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” Bible history reveals that those who trusted in God even when they faced great challenges were successful. However, we also find accounts of those who lacked trust and misplaced their confidence. The rich fool’s self-confidence recorded in Luke 12:16–21 is one example. Prosperity often causes self-assurance, which undermines trust in God.
Philippians 3:3 warns us that we should “have no confidence in the flesh.” Excessive personal self-confidence is a result of pride. Proverbs 14:16 further explains, “A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident.” The God-fearing person moves cautiously, trusting the Lord. A foolish person recklessly and irresponsibly trusts his own judgment rather than trusting in God.
Those who trust God learn patience. They learn to think positive when things go differently than they had hoped. They humbly surrender their self-will to the will of God, knowing He sees the big picture of life. “For in him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). All believers who have the Word of God hidden in the heart will find it to be a great source of vision, trust, and courage in the various trials of life. When we accept God’s omniscience, we can calmly trust Him to make a way for us, come what may.
Our secular society offers abundant counsel in many areas of life: health concerns, social relationships, family interaction, and financial security. Secular counselors can at times give good counsel that, from an earthly perspective, may seem profitable. While some of this counsel can be useful, we need to be careful to remember that our lives are in God’s hands and that we can safely trust in Him for advice in life’s responsibilities. Depending too much on earthly counselors can erode our confidence in God; the end results can be spiritually disastrous. Sometimes failing to fully trust God causes us to seek secular counsel.
Young Christians who familiarize themselves with the Bible early in life have a great advantage. This will help them trust God when they are perplexed and face difficult situations. When the time comes to find a life’s companion, it is better to trust in God than to take matters into one’s own hands. To foster an overly familiar relationship with the opposite sex is often the result of a lack of trust in God to bring together a marriage.
When we face challenges in our marriage or in child nurture, we need to pray God for direction and trust Him to give us a little light. Those who feel they have everything under control are likely to neglect to pray for daily guidance. However, to live a successful Christian life, we need the Holy Spirit’s guidance with a trusting compliance in our daily routine as well as in the unexpected things that happen. When we look around and take note of what happens when people calmly trust in God for their sense of direction, we see that they prosper in their Christian life. It is an encouragement to see the positive outcome that comes to those who trust in God.
“Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep” (Ps. 127:1–2). This psalm implies that excessive human effort, worry, and anxious vigils cannot effectively take the place of trusting God. Ultimately, He remains in control, whether we realize it or not. These verses are not an excuse for negligence or laziness. God expects us to apply ourselves to our earthly duties. Diligence and hard work in proper measure honor God. However, we should use common sense and not work too long and hard. Failure to trust God causes us to fret about what may happen, and this anxiety can become a driving force, pushing us to the point of torment.
Matthew 6:34 tells us, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” We might think that this verse justifies haphazard living; rather, it is an encouragement to trust God, especially for today, without unduly concerning ourselves with tomorrow’s potential problems. It is best to trust in God and follow his directives to the best of our ability.
Questions
- What present-day circumstances might cause us to lose faith and trust in God?
- How does trusting God keep us from worrying about troubling world conditions?
- Is it harder for young people to trust in God than for middle-aged or seniors?
- How can we more effectively trust God for direction in relationship challenges?
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Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).