The biblical definition of Trust:
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and, and lean not on your own understanding; v6 in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.
Character Study:
Hezekiah:2 Kings 16:20 – 20:21; 2 Chronicles 28:27 – 32:33; Isaiah 36:1 – 39:8
He is also mentioned in Proverbs 25:1; Isaiah 1:1; Jeremiah 15:4; 26:18, 19; Hosea 1:1; Micah 1:1
In 2 Kings 18:1-3, we see that Hezekiah was the son of Ahaz and his mother was Abijah, daughter of Zechariah. He was twenty-five years old when he became king and he reigned for twenty-nine years.
He is commended in 2 Chronicles 29:2 He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done.
Hezekiah is known for his:
Civil and religious reforms
2 Chronicles 29:3 In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the Temple of the LORD and repaired them.
In 2 Kings 18:3-4 we see that he did what was pleasing to the LORD. He broke down pagan shrines, smashed sacred pillars, and cut down Asherah poles. He also broke up the bronze snake, Nehushtan that Moses had made.
A personal growing relationship with God:
2 Kings 18:5-7 tells us that Hezekiah trusted in the LORD. He remained faithful and obeyed all the commands the LORD had given Moses.
His dedication to the LORD
In 2 Chronicles 30:1-9, we see that he reinstated the Passover. He sent runners throughout Israel and Judah, urging the people to return to God.
2 Chronicles 30:10-27 outlines the “Celebration of Passover.” In the end, the Israelites who were there went out to the towns of Judah, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles.
He had developed a powerful prayer life.
In 2 Kings 18:19-25 and Isaiah 37:14-20 the Assyrian king’s chief of staff, Sennacherib threatens Jerusalem.
When Hezekiah received a letter from the hands of the messengers of Sennacherib’s chief of staff and read it, he went up to the LORD’S Temple and spread it out before the LORD. He prayed before the LORD asking the LORD to rescue them from the king of Assyria.
In Isaiah 38:1-3 Hezekiah became deathly ill and was told: v1b “This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.” Hezekiah then prayed, reminding the LORD that he had always been faithful. The LORD added fifteen years to his life.
Isaiah 38:9-20 When King Hezekiah was well again, he wrote a poem:” Hezekiah’s Poem of Praise.”
Weakness
Hezekiah’s foolish pride.
In 2 Kings 20:12-15, Hezekiah allowed his foolish pride to show an envoy from Babylon, everything he owned – all his royal treasuries. When confronted by Isaiah, he replied that what Isaiah had said was “good” because he thought there will still be peace and security in his lifetime!
This character trait shows that he had little interest or wisdom in planning for the future and in so doing, protecting for the future generation the spiritual heritage he enjoyed.
What the Bible teaches about trust.
Old Testament:
Judges 16:21-30 is the story about Samson’s final victory over the Philistines. Delilah, being a deceitful woman had finally deceived Samson to tell her where he gets his strength from. Tired from her nagging he confessed his secret. He was then captured by the Philistines who gauged out his eyes. When Samson was brought out to amuse the people he asked a young servant to place his hands against the pillars. Samson prays and asks the LORD to strengthen him one more time so that with one blow he could pay back the Philistines for the loss of his eyes. He trusted God and: v30b Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived
Psalms We see that the psalmists, especially David trusted the LORD.
See Psalm 9:10; 13:5; 22:4-5; 25:2-3; 28:7; 31:14; 33:21; 37:3-5; 40:3; 56:3-4; 112:7
Proverbs 3:1-35 gives us all the benefits of trusting the LORD and seeking God’s will in all we do.
In Isaiah 24 Isaiah prophesies about the “The Lord’s Devastation of the Earth” followed in Isaiah 25 and 26 by psalms of trust, praise and meditation.
Jeremiah 17:5-10 When we trust in God the heading says it is “Wisdom from the LORD.”(NLT)
Jeremiah 17:11-18 shows Jeremiah’s trust in God.
Daniel 6:1-28 is the story of “Daniel in the Den of Lions.” When King Darius had Daniel brought out of the lion’s den there was not a scratch on him, because he had trusted God.
New Testament:
Matthew 18:1-6 When the disciples were arguing about who would be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus put a child among them. He warned them that whoever allows a child who trusts in Him – to fall into sin or turn them away from faith – it would be better for that person to have a large millstone tied around his neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea!
In John 2:1-24 many people began to trust in Jesus because of the miraculous signs he was doing in Jerusalem.
John 14:1-6 Jesus is the Way to the Father – v1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. (NLT)
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
2 Timothy 1:3-13 Paul writes to Timothy while in prison, to encourage him to remain faithful. Even though Paul was suffering, he was not ashamed, because he is convinced that God can guard what he has entrusted to him, until the Lord takes him home to eternity
Application:
Our Biblical definition at the start of this study says that we are to trust in the LORD with all our hearts.
We have all faced disappointments and at times find it difficult to trust God. That is why we must lay aside our plans and expectations and surrender to His plans, leaning on His understanding.
Psalm 55:1-17 Surrendering to God shows our commitment to depend on Him.
Proverbs 3:7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. It is not as easy as it sounds to shun evil. We need to get rid of those things that occupy our minds and pursue God.
Proverbs 3:9-10 Put God first in your life, honouring Him not only with your time spent in “Quiet time and prayer” but in everything, even your money.
Proverbs 3:11-12 There are going to be times when God needs to discipline us for our behaviour, our actions and our sins. When something “bad” happens we need to look at ourselves and admit that our words, thoughts, and actions are not pleasing to God. How do we know this? The more we are in the Bible, the easier it is to know that discipline comes from God.
John 14:26 We also have the Holy Spirit to guide/prompt/remind us daily. As we study the Bible, we can trust the Holy Spirit to plant truth in our minds, convince us of God’s will, and remind us when we stray from His Word.
Conclusion:
Jeremiah 17:7 But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him.
Responding in Prayer:
Read Psalm 62:1-12 – A prayer of trust knowing God is in control.
David wrote this psalm during the days of his son Absalom’s rebellion.
We can wait quietly before God for our victory because we can pray: v2 Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken. When it feels as if our world is “falling apart” we can come to God, trusting Him to make a way where we see no clear way. We can pray so easily “LORD, I trust you with all my heart.” Remember God can see our hearts, nothing is hidden from Him. With trust comes obedience, so we can ask the Lord to help us to “trust and obey because there is no other way.”
(All Scriptures are from the New International Version (NIV) unless otherwise stipulated)
Journal – Scripture/Prayers/Thoughts: