Trusting in the Lord means that one is steadfast and therefore able to excel and is also “immovable” or unperturbed and unshaken in the face of adversity. One is able to face adversity head on and can even say boldly “bring it on!”.
“Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.” (Psalm 125:1 NKJV).
To more accurately convey what being steadfast or immovable entails, I would describe one who believes God is trustworthy as having the qualities of one who is astute. The ability to be astute is a product of their trust in God.
What does astute mean? It means that one has or shows an ability to accurately assess situations or people and turn this to one’s advantage. Also according to the English Cambridge dictionary, such a person is “able to understand a situation quickly and see how to take advantage of it”.
People often use this word in the context of secular business; “He is an astute businessman” they say. How about using it in the context of those who live a life engaged in God’s business, which can be within and also outside of the church ? How about applying this word to people who are employed or are self employed and as believers use godly principles that make them astute?
There is so much meaning packed within this word, astute. Synonyms of astute include: Shrewd, Sharp or sharp-witted, bright, brilliant, intelligence, smart, canny, clever, discerning, perceptive, intuitive, insightful.
When we trust in God as believers in Jesus Christ, it means we surrender our lives completely to Him and live abiding in God actively through bible study, prayer and singing praises to Him. Every area of our lives is worshipful unto God.
BENEFITS OF TRUSTING GOD
One of the key benefits of trusting God is that the Holy Spirit indwelling us responds and he imparts spiritual gifts which includes the gift of discerning of spirits and wisdom (1 Corinth.12). When you have God given gifts of discernment and wisdom due to steadfast or immovable trust in God, it means that you inevitably develop the ability to have God’s “eyes” or insight and perception in things the same way God does.
In simple terms you have the wisdom of God and therefore a God given “ability to accurately assess situations or people and turn this to” your advantage. Knowing or having God’s ways (Wisdom) on a matter means He will also give you the understanding for effective application, as a result you are “able to understand a situation quickly and see how to take advantage of it”. (both quotes here are a repetition of the definitions of astute given earlier.
Believers in Jesus Christ are able to know or discern the will and wisdom of God because the indwelling Holy Spirit, being the Spirit of God, knows the will or mind of God on a matter (1 Corinthians 2) and imparts it to us.
As Christians, we should have at the forefront of our minds the truth of the fact that wisdom that is not from Father God through our Lord Jesus Christ is from two sources, ourselves (carnal) and Satan (including evil spirits).
Therefore praying for God’s wisdom so as to live victoriously in all areas of our lives is an absolute necessity. The Apostle James says
“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” (James 1:5 NLT).
Another key benefit of trusting in God is that you provoke the Word of God to work for you! You are simultaneously trusting in Jesus the Word (John chapter 1) who became flesh and dwelt among men, died and rose again the third day to redeem mankind from sin. Jesus is described as the last Adam, the life-giving spirit (1 Corinth. 15:45).
The Spirit of God that bears witness with our Spirit that we are children of God, testifies of Jesus (John 15:26), the Word. The abundant life of God (John 10:10) obtainable through Christ (as well as the Holy Spirit) manifests in the life of the Christian who trusts in God.
The great power of enablement released by the Holy Spirit is well expressed in Romans 8:11 as follows:
“The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you (NLT).
Trust in God therefore inevitably results in resurrection life! Every area of one’s life that is “dead” or unproductive or barren becomes fruitful. The redemptive and productive life of God is breathed into one’s intellect (synonyms of astute: intellectual, brilliance, bright..). This means that as a believer in Christ, your thoughts are increasingly sanctified and become as God’s thoughts.
Your creativity and entrepreneurial spirit be it in church ministry or your role in the marketplace or public sphere such as in the realms of volunteering, career and engaging in a hobby is greatly enhanced and aligned to God’s will for your life. In fact God is likely to give you creative and clever (clever is a synonym of astute) ways to be an influential or fruitful witness for Christ.
Jesus advised his disciples to be shrewd, another of the synonyms of astute mentioned earlier:
“Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.” (Matthew 10:16 NLT).
God’s children are rightly declared “astute business people” for His sake, because they trust Him. It is therefore accurate to say that when we trust in God, the truth of His written and prophetic word about who we are and what our purpose is begins to manifest or unfold. The reality of these scriptures amongst others are affirmed daily in our lives:
“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.” (2 Peter 1:3 NLT).
“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”(Eph. 3:20 NLT).
Through the power of God at work within and also in every area of our lives, we not only increasingly become who we were created to be, in terms of our identity but also what we were predestined to do in terms of our destiny. This is because we have what it takes to be astute when we trust in God. Truly trusting God through His Word results in a life constantly lived in His presence. The cycle of astuteness in relation to “God’s business” wherever we might be is therefore never ending. This verse that speaks of God’s constant presence is a daily reality:
“As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people” (Psalm 125:2 NKJV).
Poem: Trusting & Immovable
The heritage of trusting in God is to be branded as astute. Amiable and steadfast immovable as Mount Zion.
A heart of zeal is obtained, clad in wisdom as a quilt patched from experiences and sown.
The ability to excel, a covering of divine brilliance, as a shawl saved from a furnace of chastening and worn.
Astuteness in business, God imparts to trusting men. Revealed in how they discern, assess and walk paths of righteousness. The immovable shall flourish in God’s blessedness.
©Deborah E. Nyamekye 30/08/2016
Biblical Exhortations, Devotionals & Poetry 