Trust Love Mercy

You were made to become a repairer and a restorer. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. Submit to Him and learn to see others as He does.“The word of the Lord came to Elijah:

“Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land…You have abandoned the Lord’s commands and have followed the Baals. Now summon the people…bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.” Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing. Elijah said…Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire—He is God….they called on the name of Baal…But there was no response; no one answered…Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me…he repaired the altar of the Lord…he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood…Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that You, Lord, are God, and that You are turning their hearts back again.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—He is God!”” 1 Kings 18:1-41

The Lord God of Israel leaves no doubt about who is the God of the heavens and earth, but before we look at the story, back up. See how God is working and merciful. See how God is the one who sends rain during a time of drought. See how God sends a person to bring hope to the hopeless and love to the lost.

We should not be surprised that God can send fire when called upon and burn up a waterlogged sacrifice. We should not be surprised that the false gods do not answer. The point of the passage is that God is always working to redeem and restore His people into right relationship with Him.

Who are you in the story? Are you Elijah, bringing a message of hope to others? Are you King Ahab, who has not followed God’s ways because you want control and things done your way? Are you one of the people who cannot decide between gods and does not want to commit in one direction or another?

“I will give thanks to You, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing the praises of Your name, O Most High. The Lord reigns forever; He has established His throne for judgment. He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity. The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know Your name trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You. Sing the praises of the Lord, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what He has done. But God will never forget the needy.” Psalms 9: 1-18

Do you see the world like God does? Does your heart align with God’s heart? David said that God rules the world with righteousness and is a refuge for the oppressed. He said those who trust in God and seek God will never be forsaken. Does it not give you comfort to know that God already has a plan to meet your deepest needs? Has it produced in you a heart of gratitude? What is your testimony about how God has been faithful to you?

David then shifts the focus. He said to sing praise to God, then go share the good news. He said, proclaim to the nations what He has done. See that God is actively working to reach the lost and nourish those in need. His plan is always about helping others. Is ours? Do I orient my life around how I can help accomplish God’s plan to help those in need? Or am I just praying for what I want?

“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing…do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent His rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those He loves…Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. Have no fear of sudden disaster…for the Lord will be at your side…Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed.” Proverbs 3:3-34

The wisdom in this chapter has the power to completely change your life. If you apply these principles, you will find peace and prosper. None of us have all of these down all the time. Transformation starts by being honest about where you are.

Which of these wise practices are easiest, and which are hardest for you? Which would you most like to grow in? Is it being loving all the time? Is it taking time to do things God’s way? Is it letting go of leaning on your own thinking or letting go of control by submitting to Christ? Is it trusting God with your tithe? Is it dropping your pride? Is it shunning evil and purifying your practices? Is it embracing a more disciplined life? Is it silencing the voice of fear of sudden disaster? Is it finding ways to serve others and do the good you were made to do? We all have ways we can grow. What’s your next step?

“Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice…to set the oppressed free…Is it not to share your food…to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them…If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the no onday. The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs…you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on My holy day…if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride in triumph.” Isaiah 58:5-14

God starts by asking us a question. Do you really think your spiritual practices are producing the fruit that pleases Me? What a challenging question! Don’t we think that fasting means we’re faithful, or that praying or giving means we are righteous? God said, change the way you think. See the world through My eyes.

What does God care about? Hearts that care for everyone. Hearts that trust in Him. People who live out Proverbs 3 by looking up and looking out at the world, then responding by doing what is right, just, faithful, and loving. God wants to change the world by changing our hearts. One person at a time, He brings transformation so that we might become like Jesus to the world around us.

God said if you focus on doing My will, you will find I have already done what you need. It is the same message that Jesus gave when He said, don’t worry; God knows what you need and will provide. God said your identity is restorer, repairer, rebuilder, replenisher. All of these are lived out as we love others. Do you believe God? Do you believe He will satisfy your needs and provide answers to your prayers if you focus on loving others?

“On another Sabbath He went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. But Jesus knew what they were thinking…Get up and stand in front of everyone…I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?…Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was completely restored…Looking at His disciples, He said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh…Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep…Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Give to everyone who asks you…Do to others as you would have them do to you. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back…Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you…Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?…first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit…Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and puts them into practice, they are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock.” Luke 6:6-45

Jesus shows us what a heart fully surrendered to God looks like. He trusted the Father completely, saw people through the eyes of love, and never withheld good when it was in His power to act. He restored the broken, welcomed the overlooked, showed mercy, and loved people others judged.Jesus reveals the heart of God. God is changing the world by changing hearts. The transformation He wants is in the way we think and see.

Can we trust God enough to stop leaning on our own understanding and love the people we might not even like? Can we put down the pointing finger and allow God to reveal the plank in our own eye? Faith is trusting Him enough to live His way. It is believing that love is stronger than fear, mercy is better than judgment, forgiveness brings freedom, and faithfulness will produce fruit as He is our foundation.

You were made to become a repairer and a restorer. Do the good that is within your power to do. Show mercy. Forgive freely. Love without expecting anything in return. God is faithful, and He already knows what you need. Who can you love simply because God loves them? Let your life reflect the love of Christ in all you do.