February 1, 2023

Trusting is Critical

 “This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him. After this He went down to Capernaum, He and His mother and His brothers and His disciples; and they stayed there a few days.”

John 2: 11-12 (NASB)

I remember years ago in law enforcement searching inside a burning residence. Neighbors told us when we arrived, they were not sure if the owner was home. We knew we needed to check the house. Another deputy and I entered the house. It was filled with smoke, and hard to breathe, but we went inside. We had to know for sure. There were rooms inside in flames. Others were filled with thick smoke. After we cleared the entire house, we determined the home was empty. As I was leaving the back of the residence, I got a little disoriented. The smoke was getting thicker and blacker. The other deputy began calling to me so I could gain direction. I finally exited the house. Man, it was hot. I’m glad I believed and trusted in the deputy’s voice to help me. I’ll tell you this, the smoke left a permanent smell in my uniform, but his voice possibly saved my life. Thank God I trusted.

The passage above describes a distinct turning point in the young disciples’ lives. “And His disciples believed in Him.” The disciples moved from the point of just “following” Jesus, to now believing and entrusting Him. They moved from hearing about Jesus and now became believers in Him. The Greek word “believed,” pisteuō means; to believe, entrust:[1] After seeing His glory, they watched Him “manifest His glory.” He made it known to them. It all took belief and trust though. They were other smokescreens as well. Even before Jesus’ life there were many claiming to be the Messiah. The Jewish historian Josephus mentions over a dozen men who sprang up over time all the way back to 45 B. C. Each were mere men, and not worthy of believing or trusting. They might have worn crowns, but they were not Messiah. Their reigns ended when their flesh died. Messiah’s reign is forever. He is worthy of “believing and entrusting.”

 Let’s face it, trust for each of us each day is something that takes time. Many of us need to move beyond merely following Jesus and begin to “believe and trust” Him with our lives. This means everything in your Christian walk. It changed the disciples lives permanently. It can change yours too. Try today to make some changes. Maybe it’s your devotion time with Him? Maybe it’s your prayer time with Him? Maybe it’s in your giving to your local church? Maybe it’s your service to God’s people? I just listed a few. I am sure you can think of many more. If the Holy Spirit were to look through your spiritual closet and take a look, what would He find?

  I’ll tell you this, I didn’t know the deputy that well that night, but I did come to believe and trust him a whole lot better. After walking out of that house that night I changed. I even began to believe and trust him in incidents in my career. Remember, we don’t all don’t have much time here on earth You will either be a follower or a believer in Jesus Christ. Life may not give you a choice. Start today by trusting in the little things today so the bigger, unexpected things ahead won’t be such a hard decision to “believe in Him.”

[1] Robert L. Thomas, New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries : Updated Edition (Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc., 1998).