faithThere are only two days left for us who are enjoying a week at Camp Caudle. The week has been, as always, wonderful. Yesterday evening we heard a tremendous sermon from David Riley on the subject WHAT DOES LOVE REQUIRE OF ME.

As previously mentioned, in the morning sessions our young people are studying the word “faith.” Yesterday’s devotional took a look at one aspect of the word that needs to be understood in order to better appreciate it; we considered how faith is all about how “I” need to develop my own faith and not rely on my parents or children to carry my religion.

Today let’s consider how faith is also all about TRUSTING.

Consider the words of Jesus…

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

Matthew 6:25-30

What kind of person does Jesus call a man of “little faith?” It’s the kind of person who frets and worries and despairs in advance of a potential problem. What does he lack? He lacks faith that God is protector and provider. He lacks the critical element of faith: trust. To illustrate our need to trust God, Jesus forgoes a long illustrative story and instead offers four short statements to make His point.

First, why worry about clothing and food? Is that really how a person should measure his life?

Second, observe the birds in the air. They have no ability to harvest their own crops or store them in barns for a future occasion. Yet they are provided for. By whom? God takes care of them. Aren’t you more important to God than birds?

Third, what good does worrying do? What does it actually accomplish? Can a short person fret enough to gain one inch to his height? No.

Fourth, consider the grass of the fields. They have no ability to spin fabric and dress themselves the way people do. Nevertheless, the fields are beautiful. Why? Because God has provided for them. He has clothed them with lilies and other fine flowers. Aren’t you more important to God than grass?

Why worry? Why fret? Have faith in God. Trust that He will protect and provide. Every day brings new challenges and new potential for sorrow, but that’s a cynical way of looking at things. The people who think in such ways are those who have no faith. They go to bed worried about tomorrow, unable to know what the sunrise will bring. The person of faith doesn’t need to worry. Whatever the new day brings is irrelevant; it will be faced with God’s help. That’s faith: Trusting in God when you don’t know what’s around the corner.