Trusting in God, Not Man (Part 1)

Sometimes it’s pretty easy to trust in people. It is how we were taught since birth. We put our confidence in our Dad and Mom that they will feed, clothe, house, and love us. We trust in our school teachers to give us what we need to know. We even trust our employers to pay us what we’ve agreed upon.

But no person is our sufficiency. Not even ourselves.

II Corinthians 3:5:
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.

As a person with a body and soul life, I can get a lot of information from my five senses and do a lot of things. But I am very limited without God’s bigger perspective. My heavenly Father gave me His gift of holy spirit so that I can be in touch with Him whenever I want to be. That is an amazingly wonderful and “unspeakable” gift.

II Corinthians 9:15:
Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. 

There is one person that I especially do NOT want to trust in. That is me.

Proverbs 3:5,6 [James Moffatt Translation]:
Rely with all your heart on the Eternal, and never lean on your own insight; have mind of him wherever you may go, and he will clear the road for you.

When we trust and rely on our heavenly Father, we are never led astray or down the wrong path. We do our best (as Jesus Christ ALWAYS did) to “have mind of Him” wherever we may go. Then our loving heavenly Father will clear each road for us that we face. That is better than trusting in people.

Psalms 108:12,13:
Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. 
Through God we shall do valiantly.

Psalm 91: Living Under the Shadow of Almighty God

One of the great sections of scripture that Jesus Christ studied and believed was Psalm 91. It tells of God’s goodness toward the Messiah. It shows that God is utterly trustworthy and able to protect and defend us. It gave Jesus Christ great comfort and strength to stand against the adversary (the Devil) and overcome him to give us victory today.

Psalms 91:1,2 [James Moffatt Translation]:
Happy the man who stays by the Most High in shelter, who lives under the shadow of Almighty God, who calls the Eternal “My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust”!

We are happy and blessed when we are sheltered under God’s loving care. He is the all-mighty God Who is Almighty and able to do all things. When our Father is our refuge and fortress, all is well. No other person (including ourselves, family, friends, leaders, spiritual mentors and teachers) has a “big enough shadow” to help us always. Our heavenly Father IS big enough.

Verses 3,4:
He saves you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pit; he protects you with his pinions and hides you underneath his wings.

There are many traps and devices of the Devil (I Timothy 6:9; II Timothy 2:26; II Corinthians 2:11; Ephesians 6:11). With our Father’s protection, we need not fear the snares about us nor be alarmed that we will fall into a “deadly pit.” His pinions (feathers) and wings give us shelter and comfort daily.

Verses 5-7:
You need not fear the terrors of the night, nor arrows flying in the day; you need not fear plague stalking in the dark, nor sudden death at noon; hundreds may fall beside you, thousands at your right hand, but the plague will never reach you, safe shielded by his faithfulness.

I am no longer afraid of the terrors of the night, those things that I cannot see. I know that God in Christ in me is greater than the Devil or any of his fallen angels (devil spirits) that are in the world. That is what I John 4:4 tells me, and I believe it. I am not afraid of any “arrows” that fly in the day.

The things that I can see and that try to inspire fear and dread in my heart and soul. Perhaps the greatest arrows are the fiery darts of the wicked one—words and mental attacks that try to get to my heart. But I keep my heart steadfast in God and His Word. His promises have been fulfilled through Jesus Christ, and we are complete in him (Colossians 2:10).

What if hundreds fall beside me because they do not trust in Almighty God? What if thousands are plagued on my right hand? No disease or evil will reach me or fully hurt me. Why? Because of my own goodness or ability? NO! Because I am “safe shielded” by GOD’S FAITHFULNESS! We all have physical bodies that can be attacked, but our heavenly Father promises to heal us and keep us under the shadow of His wings. I am comfortable there.

Verses 8-10:
You have only to look on and see how evil men are punished; but you have sheltered beside the Eternal, and made the Most High God your home, so no scathe can befall you, no plague can approach your tent.

I am reminded of how God protected Moses and the children of Israel when they trusted in Him. They could look around and see the punishment of evil men around them. The adversary sent an angel of death (whatever form of disease, plague, or attack it was) that killed the firstborn of the Egyptians. But not one of the children of Israel died at that time. In fact, after eating the Passover lamb, there was not one feeble person among them (Psalms 105:37).

 Psalm 91: Overcoming Satan’s Devices

Verses 11-13:
For he puts you under his angels’ charge, to guard you wherever you go, to lift you up in their hands lest you trip over a stone; you can walk over reptiles and cobras, trampling on lions and on dragons.

The Devil is a brazen liar and a master of deceit. He tried to trick Jesus Christ into acting foolishly on this scripture from Psalm 91. Jesus had already shut down the Devil when he tried to get Jesus to turn a stone into bread, rather than trusting in his heavenly Father to supply his need. Now the Devil is trying to get the Messiah to force God’s hand by jumping off “a pinnacle of the temple.”

But Jesus Christ had read and understood Psalm 91. He knew the context (that the adversary had purposefully omitted) was that the Messiah could “walk over reptiles and cobras, trampling on lions and on dragons.” Jesus knew that the Devil was trying to misuse scripture to get him to do the opposite of trusting in God. So he gave the Devil this response:

Matthew 4:7:
Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 

Psalm 91:  God’s Loving Care for Those Who Trust Him

Psalm 91 closes with what God Almighty, the Eternal, says about the Messiah. We see the great love, compassion, and protection that our heavenly Father gives us. For today it is “Christ in you,” the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).

Verses 14-16:
“He clings to me, so I deliver him; I set him safe, because he cares for me; I will answer his cry and be with him in trouble, delivering him and honouring him; I will satisfy him with long life, and let him see my saving care.”

This is what God says to us today. When we cling to Him (as Jesus Christ did), God will deliver us! When we “care for” (love with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength) our heavenly Father, He will set us safe. God always answers our cry when we are in trouble. He delivers us and honors us with His grace and mercy. He satisfies us with long lives and lets us see His saving care. Why do some people not receive God’s help? Because they don’t ask for it according to His Word. Almighty God is always faithful, able, and willing to help those who seek Him.

Next time we will see how God fulfilled these truths from Psalm 91 in the life of Jesus Christ. And we will see how we can do the same things Jesus Christ did, and greater works, because we have “Christ in us,” the hope of glory!