The NET Forum

At the end of Passover, the five Hallel Psalms are sung, Psalms 114-118. The last Psalm to be sung, 118, is about trusting God. Psalms 118:5-8 says:

"In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me free. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The Lord is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man."

As Jesus walked from that last Passover Seder with his disciples to the garden to pray and be arrested, that last passage must have been on his mind. He prayed in the garden that night asking if there was any other way, and because Jesus was man too, even he had to trust God.

In Psalm 22, written by David from the point of view of one on the cross he writes in verse 4:"In you, our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed."

And though Jesus cried out "why have you forsaken me?" He stayed on the cross.

Why? Love. Love kept him there. And trust in the Father, into His hands,
kept him faithful.

If your friends and acquaintances are like mine you've had the Israel question or comment that goes something like this: Is it safe? Are you nuts?

Your answers probably range from nonchalance, thoughtful worry, comedic brush-off, risk-reward calculations, to important spiritual considerations.
Mine have been all of the above. What it finally comes to though is this:

Trust God, Trust God, Trust God.

The bible's constant theme is salvation, and to appropriate that salvation,
God says, "Trust me." On every page of the bible that is the message.

Even when we read the curses and the consequences resulting from our untrust, doing what we want to do, our sin, the subtext is still, Trust me,
repent, and all will be well with you.

For forty years God led Israel in a desolate wilderness just south of where we are now. It would be like driving from San Diego to Palm Springs . Galilee to Zin. Every day for forty years God provided. Every day God was asking His children to trust Him. In Deuteronomy 8:2: "Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years; to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands."

Every day God asks us the same thing, "Will you trust me today?"

Any of you that have children may have had this experience. You're asleep, deep asleep, but something causes you to waken. You open your eyes and there nose to nose, breathing on you is your child. God is closer, even as we sleep.

Can you feel him? He is so close, his breath is on your face, it gave us life, open your eyes; open your heart.

I say again, Trust God, Trust God, Trust God.