“Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.
⁸ They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit. ⁹ The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse—who can understand it? ¹⁰ I the Lord test the mind and search the heart, to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings.” Jeremiah 17:7-10

“When Luther was summoned to meet the diet for trial on a charge of heresy, his friends, fearing for his life, tried to persuade him not to go; but he declared that he would go even if there were as many devils there as there were tiles on the housetops. He trusted God, and that trust gave him an unwavering courage. Three Hebrews trusted God, and the fiery furnace could not even singe their garments. Daniel trusted God, and the hungry lions could not touch him. Many thousands of others have trusted God with similar results.

But trusting God is an active, positive thing. A passive submission or surrender to circumstances is not trust. Trusting the Lord to save us means to definitely rely on him to do it; to confidently expect that he will do it. This leads directly to the confident trust that he does do it. It brings the conscious assurance that it is an accomplished fact. We are not left to doubt, to hope, or to guess; but we have a positive trust that brings a positive result. (C.W. Naylor, “Heart Talks”, p. 17-18)

When Luther had a papal bull placed upon him, he burned it on December 10, 1520. This act resulted in his being called to the Diet of Worms, in 1521, to defend his books and other writings. When Luther went to the Diet of Worms, his friends not only tried to deter him from going, they also accompanied him to protect him. In fact, when the Elector Frederick the Wise asked Luther if he was willing to go to Worms, Luther said: “If I am called, I shall go; and if I were too sick to go, I shall have them carry me.” The “trial” went as expected – the emperor Charles V wanted him to recant his writings, and Luther refused. He was soon “kidnapped” and taken to the Castle in Wartburg to “go into hiding”.  Now, these events could have put the brakes upon Luther – but the opposite happened. He would take the time while he was in hiding to translate the bible into the vernacular, into the German language so that all could read the scriptures. In his unwavering trust in his understanding of Grace and his faith in the Word of G-d, Luther used his time to bring “Positive Results from Positive Trust”. And this kind of trust can be seen not just from Martin Luther but from many a theologian and prophet throughout the millennia.

Our positive trust in Jesus Christ, that brings about positive results through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, should lead us to live into and to live out that trust in all our relationships. It is our challenge to continue in the footsteps of so many theologians, martyrs and teachers who lived their lives in that trust, no matter the troubles it brought them along the journey.

Pastor Dave

“My child, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments;² for length of days and years of life and abundant welfare they will give you.³ Do not let loyalty and faithfulness forsake you;
bind them around your neck,    write them on the tablet of your heart.
⁴ So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and of people.

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight.
⁶ In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
⁷ Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
⁸ It will be a healing for your flesh and a refreshment for your body.” Proverbs 3:1-8

 “Trust does not mean shutting our eyes to facts. There is no such thing as “blind faith.” Trust looks at things as they are. It sees the dangers that threaten, and assesses them at their true value. It sees the need, and does not try to disguise it. It sees the difficulties, and does not discount them. But seeing all this, it looks beyond and sees God, its all-sufficient help. It sees him greater than the needs or the dangers or the difficulties, and it does not shrink before them. There is no fear in trust: the two are opposites. When we really fear, we are not fully trusting. When we trust, fear gives way to assurance. Fear is tormenting. How many there are who are constantly agitated by fear! They fear the devil, trials, temptations, the wind, lightning, burglars, and a thousand other things. Their days are haunted by fear of this thing or that. Their peace is marred and their hearts are troubled. For all this, trust is the cure. I do not mean to say that if you trust, nothing will ever startle you or frighten you, or that you will never feel physical fear in time of danger; but in such times trust will bring to us a consciousness that the Lord knows and cares. (C.W. Naylor, “Heart Talks”, p. 12)

 Having trust does not mean we will be protected from all harm. Having trust does not mean that all will be well with our lives all the time. By nature of being born human, we open ourselves to the inadequacies and the insufficiencies and, of course, the dangers of this life. This then should not crush our trust – it should double our efforts to find the G-d of trust and the G-d of hope that comes through Jesus Christ. Do not forget the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel, where Jesus looks to the people who would have had the most reason to lack hope and lack opportunity: he looks at them and says “Blessed are you who mourn, who are poor in Spirit, and who are meek.”  Jesus says, “Yours is the Kingdom of Heaven”. In other words, Jesus reminds them that because they understand their hope comes in G-d, and G-d alone, then their futures are secured through G-d. It is through G-d that our hope comes – and since the resurrection of Jesus, that hope became human, incarnate and manifest for those who continue in G-d’s hope. And then, we can live every day with our eyes wide open – helping those in need, giving hope to the hopeless, and food to the hungry. Faith does not shut our eyes in comfort; it opens them to sharing in the needs of everyone around us.

Pastor Dave