Dig Deeper - Sunday 8th February
Sermon Reflection Questions - Strong and Courageous - a Journey through the book of Joshua: Trust in God.
Joshua 22:1-9
Dig Deeper notes from Sunday 8th February service:
Who do you trust?
Trust can be a weird concept to grasp. How do you know who you are supposed to put your trust into? I imagine that we all have a group of friends or members of family that we would trust completely, then there are some friends or family that we love dearly, but wouldn’t have that same level of trust in them for whatever reason. Trust is a unique currency that builds up slowly over time, but then if broken, all that earned trust is demolished.
Trust in God however isn’t like that at all. We should all have complete trust in God, in His plans for us. He doesn’t have to earn our trust, nor will that trust ever be broken, because He will never do us wrong or fail us. The currency of trust doesn’t need to build up, and it won’t be depleted.
The Israelites have demonstrated their trust in God in many ways up to this point. They trusted God when they were saved from slavery, they trusted God when Moses was able to part the Red Sea. They trusted in God to provide for them whilst wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. They trusted in God when He made the walls of Jericho fall. And now, Joshua is telling these people to have trust in God as they go home.
Here is the difficult part. We put our trust in God in those times where the walls are closing in and we need His divine help, but do we put our trust in God within the space of quietness and gentle periods in life, or does that trust sometimes waver in periods of melancholy. Having trust and faithfulness in times of peace is just as important as those times of crisis.
When we pray the Lord’s prayer, we say, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done:
Not my will, but God’s will be done. – we are trusting that whatever happens, even if it isn’t what we want, that God knows what we need. We need to remember, that we don’t have to see the finished picture to have full trust in God. Having trust is showing an obedience and love for God. Trust is the foundation that underpins our faith.
Trusting in God will look different for each of us, and so, let’s unpack that a bit further.
Firstly, how do we put of trust in God personally, reflecting inwardly and from a personal point of view?
To have full trust in God, we need to remember God’s goodness within our lives. What he has done for us already, and then move forward in confidence with the knowledge and trust that He will provide.
We see throughout the whole Bible, the golden thread of God’s goodness for His people, such as his mercy and forgiveness towards Noah and David after their disgrace and awful behaviours. His kindness to Ruth as she demonstrated love for Naomi. For Rahab, the outcast prostitute who helped the people of Israel take over Jericho. This goodness and eternal love He shows give us numerous examples of how those who put their trust in God will always be upheld by the Lord. The Reubenites, Gadites and half tribe of Manasseh returned home with riches, as symbols of God’s goodness towards them, for their trust and obedience in Him.
Remembering is not only about reminiscing; it’s about having the gratitude and thankfulness for a particular thing or things within our lives. When we look back at times in our lives, whether they are happy or sad, easy or difficult, we should be able to look back and see God’s goodness in those spaces. In the ways He has opened doors or provided for us, as he has held us close and given us comfort in times of grief. We each hold many testimonies within our lives about God’s goodness.
Secondly, let’s focus outwardly and how we can trust God for our communities.
As with the Reubenites, Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh, their trust in the Lord and commitment to Israel shows us the power and strength within a community. The faithfulness of these tribes to the Lord was evident in their faithfulness to stand with Israel. When the option to leave and go back to their own land was on the table, they made the choice to stay. It shows that they had trust in God’s bigger plan and put this above their own personal gain. This wasn’t a quick thing – the slow progress to get to this point demonstrated a faithfulness and trust that built up over years. But after all this time, God kept his promises to His people.
This community is not just based within the walls of the church, but out into the wider community of Walmley and where we live. We are called as people of God to tell others about Him, walk with them as they journey with the Lord. We may not be called to be an army, but we are called to be disciples and disciple others both within church and out in the community. Having trust in God that He will give us the right words to say, and the right people to meet.
We are also part of the new community being built in Langley. The trust in God that we need as a community to give us vision, to equip us and to lead us in a place that is yet to be built is vast. However, rooting our faith and putting our trust in God will no doubt sustain us through this period of waiting.
Finally, Joshua told these tribes to return home, but to keep the commandment of the law. The love the Lord, walk in obedience, keep His commands, hold steadfast and serve Him with all your heart and soul.
Throughout our lives, in the calmness and the chaos, we need to remember to walk faithfully with the Lord at every point during our life.
Trusting Jesus isn’t about having everything sorted.
It’s about choosing to place your life into the hands of someone who loves you, knows you, and will never fail you.
Questions for reflection:
· Looking inward, where may God be asking you to trust Him this week?
· Looking outward, where might God be calling us to trust Him as a church, what paths may He be leading us down?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, whatever our lives hold, we have full faith in You. Through times of calmness and of chaos, we rest in the knowledge that You will provide for us. And we put our full trust in You.
In Your mighty name we pray,
Amen.
