Trust Without Borders
A Study of Psalm 37
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We are a ‘work in progress,’ and it is with faith that we trust God with a childlike manner: “Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass,” Psalm 37:5. That ‘progress’ is like the instructions from God to the Israelites concerning their promised land in Deut. 7: 21-23: that they would clear out the nations little by little. Almost always we want what we want immediately, but is it trust if we only get our way? Psalm 37 teaches repeatedly in many ways that when we trust in the LORD and do good, we can more simply and believably cultivate faithfulness because the One who is faithful will make it happen. Christ calls us to keep watch over our hearts and our spiritual lives because although sin seems harmless in the beginning, its end brings destruction and separation from God. 1 Thessalonians 5: 23-24 shares wisdom concerning the hope of our resurrection. With much encouragement, many one-line exhortations and instructions, the final five verses end with wonderful hope: "Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for He who calls you is faithful," NLT. God will do it, not us! Psalm 37 also teaches that part of trusting is resting in and waiting on the LORD. Patiently waiting teaches us not to fret and to cease from anger, thus inheriting the earth. Trusting God gives the foundation needed for a condition of restfulness. When we allow “God to do it, not us,” we learn it is “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit says the LORD of hosts.” Zech. 4: 6b; and that “The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent,” Ex. 14: 14. These scriptures exemplify simply living with God in your life, His life in you – instead of trying to be in personal control. Put this to a test: What – literally, honestly what – can you control? In Matt. 11 Christ instructs us to take His yoke upon us and learn from Him. With His yoke, He will be guiding us – not us taking the lead. He will ‘direct our paths,’ and guide us. Heb. 4:11 challenges us to be diligent to enter His rest and to confess the Word of God so we don’t fall by disobedience. All our obedience to the Father is worship, which reveals our hearts! Trusting God leads to wholeness and confirms the basis of our worship: God’s unconditional love offered in His grace. In this unconditional love come honesty, transparency and trust. Faith is a firm belief or conviction in something for which there is no visible proof, and to believe in things unseen is not easy. But, somewhere in the maturing of a Christian, faith combined with hope grows into trust. What are you entrusting to Him today? Trust is a decision, built on stones of remembrance of what He’s done. It is holding on when everything around you is letting go. It is an active decision of obedience. “For the LORD knows the days of the upright, and their inheritance shall be forever,” Ps. 37:18; and vs. 11: “But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” When we remember His unselfish, unending love and sacrifice for us, it is then we inherit all that He offers to us, on earth as it is in heaven. When we practice the presence of God by living each day as an heir of the kingdom, listening for His voice and obeying His word, then we claim our inheritance. God’s grace – His unmerited favor and undeserved blessing – becomes His enablement or empowerment to achieve His plan, endure hardship or come directly to Him. It is then, with His yoke upon us, that we learn from Him and are able to pursue the dreams God has given us. There is freedom, liberty and grace in Christ as we, through His Spirit, eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. It is by grace that we are saved, not of ourselves or what we have done. It means living with and loving Him with a childlike surrender, trusting uncompromisingly in the love of God. From Psalm 91 we can learn that the LORD’s promise is conditioned upon making Him our true refuge and habitation. How can we do this? When we make the Lord our refuge and habitation by trusting Him – taking our cares, fears and needs to Him; by seeking His counsel, spending times of refreshing with Him; by loving Him and walking closely with Him through every day, we enter into a sheltered place of promise regarding our lives. If we dwell in the shelter of the Most High, then we will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. So, if we ‘come in and stay’ in the Most High’s shelter we will abide (live permanently) in the Almighty’s shadow. Awesome! That is a very safe place to be . . . a place of trust. In John 15: 1-7 Jesus speaks repeatedly of abiding in Him, just as He abides in the Father; and that by keeping His commandments, we will abide in His love. The abiding, the love, the commandments, the shadow are all interwoven and connected in such a way to provide protection for us – if we choose to abide. The word abide is intertwined with the word love; then Jesus connects the word love with friends. In this Bible study we learn that God called Abraham His friend, that friend is a covenant word, and that we prayerfully can seek being called friends of God. Early Biblical patriarchs called God ‘El Shaddai,’ which means ‘God Almighty,’ and its origin can be traced to mean ‘might; unconquerable.’ It has Akkadian roots also to the word ‘mountain,’ indicating God’s greatness, strength, or His everlasting nature. Shaddai is also explained as a compound of words meaning all-sufficient God, eternally capable of being all that His people need. He is all that we need! Why would we trust anyone or anything else? Psalm 91 continues to say that the LORD is our refuge and fortress. Scripture is not just referring to God as a safe dwelling for protection . . . but now He is called a fortress, a walled, gated, fortified stronghold! He delivers us from the snare, or traps of the trappers . . . allowing us to see the traps before we reach the snares; and saves us from the plague that kills. He covers us with His wings and His faithfulness is a shield that completely surrounds us. Once again we have the word shield that is in previous chapters . . . an instrument used in battle to protect us from enemies. In God we are secure at all times, in all dangers, and in all circumstances. God wants us to trust His word. He walks with us through His Word and showers us with His wisdom to change our life experiences! My prayer is that you will meet God in the way that your heart is crying out to Him. Trust Him!
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About the Book
In 1980, Pamela Alexander and her husband, Jimmy, felt led by God to open a bed and breakfast and were led to Psalm 37 within a short time of that calling. Through this passage, they learned how to wait upon the Lord and how best to prepare and build a B&B. Meanwhile, they trained in the art of hospitality and grew in His wisdom. Thirteen years later, they opened the Alexander Bed & Breakfast Acres (ABBA).
Trust without Borders presents an exploration of Psalm 37. In this study, Pamela examines how God wants us to trust Him with all of our being, showing that when we worship Him in that obedience, He blesses us abundantly with joy and peace. She reveals that trust is our gift back to God, and that He is pleased by the beauty of a trusting heart, and that trust demonstrates the meaning of living by grace rather than works. She also considers these questions:
• Is it trust only when we get our way?
• How do trust and entering His rest comingle?
• Why is gratefulness a foremost quality of a trusting follower of Christ?
Join Pamela in fellowship and in study of God’s Word, and learn how to trust God with everything and every need of your life.
About the Author
Pamela J. Alexander has taught Bible studies and retreats for more than forty years. She and her husband, Jimmy, have owned and operated the Alexander Bed & Breakfast Acres (ABBA) for more than twenty years. Pamela and Jimmy currently live in North Texas and have four adult children and seven grandchildren.