Steadfast Trust

Steadfast Trust 
Victory! Our Hope in Christ 
Terry R. Baughman

“Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4 NIV). 

Trust comes as we build on the strong foundation of faith. The longer we know God and the more we absorb His Word and recall His promises, the greater our faith can grow and the more steadfast our confidence in God’s dependability. Though God is under no compulsion to prove Himself, He often allows us to see a miracle, or pray a simple prayer that He delights in answering. It seems that He relishes the opportunity to show us a glimpse of His glory and confirms that our faith is warranted. 

Since He is the God who has built our relationship on the essential quality of faith, He finds great satisfaction in our moments of revelation when we discover the gift of trust. A prominent character of God is His immutability, so therefore, when we learn the history of His ability to save and His promise to provide, we also know that He will always have that power and the assurance that He will do it again. David sang a song of praise for God’s deliverance, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Psalm 18:2).

Throughout the Psalms we are reminded of God’s faithfulness and reassured of the validity of our steadfast confidence, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 34:3–5).

In another Psalm we find great assurance, “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease” (Psalm 91:1–3 NLT). When there is an outbreak of a pandemic, or some tragic natural catastrophe of devastation, we know that God is still with us and worthy of our trust. He has assured that He will be a place of shelter, protection from the elements and a shield from outbreaks of disease.
The wiseman gave us this favorite perennial passage, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5–6). It is implied that trust is our initiative and there is a choice to acknowledge God in all of our ways. Know God. Know that He is good and that He has proven His faithfulness over and over. Louisa Stead wrote the words to a song, “Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to take Him at His word; Just to rest upon His promise; Just to know, Thus saith the Lord.” The chorus continues, “Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him, How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er, Jesus, Jesus, Precious Jesus! O for grace to trust Him more.” That is our song and prayer.

Paul referenced the source of our victory, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:57–58). Keep believing!
​
Theme passage:
“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).

---