Do I Really Trust God? (02/02/2012)

Warren Sentinel Weekly Pulpit

Do I Really Trust God?
Reverend Christof A. Weber

Rockland Community Church

February 2, 2012

On January 15 we began a year-long journey at Rockland Community Church through The Story. Because The Story is an abridged version of the Bible, each week we have to cover an incredible amount of ground. During our first full week we covered the Genesis account of creation, the stories of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, and Noah and the Great Flood. This past week we studied the stories of Abraham and Sarah, Ishmael and Isaac, and Esau and Jacob (among many other characters). And this week we will study the lives of Joseph and his brothers.

I believe that God created humanity in order to be in relationship with us. The God I believe in is not the distant, impersonal, cosmic “clockmaker” of the Deists. No, I believe that God desires to be in mutual relationship with us. The sort of relationship that God desires is a relationship of love and trust. And so, I believe, one of the foundational questions that God asks us is, “Do you trust me?” God essentially asked that question of biblical characters such as Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah (“Do you trust me enough to build a giant boat?”), and certainly Abraham.

When God tells us to do or not do something, do we trust God enough to be obedient? When God asks us to give something or someone up that we value, do we trust God enough to do so? When God asks us to make some radical change in our life or take up a cause or an effort that seems beyond our capacity, do we trust God enough to say, YES? Fortunately, for me at least, the Bible is full of characters who struggled with these same questions. And reading their stories helps me to understand my own story. It actually gives me hope!

And what about people who experience tremendous hardships that they don't deserve? What about people who are victims of the deceitful actions of others? What about people who are made to suffer by others who are jealous of them? The story of Joseph that we are studying this week reads like a script from a soap opera. There's lying, jealousy, intrigue, attempts at seduction … Joseph ends up in some really dark situations. But Joseph somehow manages to rise above it all because of his trust in God.

As the story draws to a close, Joseph says to his brothers (who had sold him into slavery many years before), “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Such is Joseph's complete trust in God that he is able, even after all he has been through, to see how God has used even the darkest moments of his life to bring about good for him and for others.

I don't know about you, but I know that for me it is in the midst of life's most difficult moments (days, weeks, and years) that it is hardest to trust that God is good; that God can sustain us; and that somehow, someway … someday … we may understand how God transformed the greatest hardships of life into the greatest blessings. Isn't it a lot easier to trust God when things are going according to our own plans? But what I'm continuing to learn, is that life is a whole lot easier when I am able to trust God especially when things aren't going according to my plans!