Trustworthiness Leads to Thanksgiving

Psalm 27 reminds us that God is not only trustworthy, but that He shares that attribute with us; that is, we can be trustworthy too. We should give thanks. If you think about it, the fact that He shares this attribute with us is astounding because I think I’m a pretty good person--sort of like Peter, the Rock—solid, right? Sure, if you look past the hot-headed impulsiveness. The truth of the matter is I need trustworthiness (among so many other things—but trustworthiness is the topic at present) and to get it, I have to look beyond myself, God-ward.  

The first two paragraphs of Psalm 27 (verses 1-11) help us learn the principle of trustworthiness and one cannot help but note the repetition of the command, “Do not fret” when we first see the contrast of evildoers against God.  Evildoers cannot be trusted, so don’t get worked up over the fact that someone has done you wrong. Make absolutely certain you don’t envy them and the reason is this: they may be tall and thick, but they will wither and fade.

When we trust God, we are able to put down roots and feed on His faithfulness. All our satisfaction is wrapped up in Him. When we commit the way we do life to Him, He will give us what is on His heart. That’s right—when we line up with the direction He is going, He will get us where He wants us to be. Look at it this way: there are two kinds of people: evil and not-evil (righteous). God will bring out His righteousness as light in those who walk in the light!

Now, how to we go about this?

First, stop what you are doing and prepare to obey with expectation (v. 7). Forget about those others guys because the prosperity of the evil is not the prosperity you need or even want. Remember: there are two kinds of people . . .

Second, don’t get all worked up and lead with your emotions. What does anger have to do with the history of God’s faithfulness? Turn it off.  Look, people are not stepping stones or ladder rungs. Others do not exist for the purpose of our personal gain (Zechariah 11:4-5). God will give us what we need, so trust Him. We don’t trust Him when we tell God He is not giving enough or moving fast enough. Remember: the meek shall inherit the earth!

Adrian Rogers told of a preacher serving in a church where he felt God had led him; but, nothing seemed to be working out and he wanted to go to another church. He told a friend, "I know where God put me, and I know God put me here, but I just wonder if He remembers where He put me." He has not forgotten us, but we may forget to trust Him and when that happens, we are no longer trustworthy. When we delight in God and obey with expectation, we trust Him. We have abundant prosperity in Him, so we can go out and not walk on people but serve them. Our service stems from trustworthiness.

Express thanksgiving for His trustworthiness toward you, to carry out His plan through your trustworthiness.