Trust in God

Withstanding Trump: Trust in God

Tom Ratkovich, , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding.”

I have Proverbs 3:5 bookmarked in my NKJV Bible. I need constant reminding that my ways are not His ways (Isaiah 55:8) – and not my will, but His, be done (Luke 22:42).

Candidly, I do not understand why God made Donald Trump the single most powerful person in the world. Nor do I understand why He has blinded so many to the evil POTUS perpetrates against anyone that does not bend the knee.

Evil perpetrated not just against his political foes. Evil not just against the poor, the sick, the frail and the sojourner. Evil not just against black or brown. Evil not just against the people of this country over which he proclaims himself king.

No, this country is not big enough for the narcissist that is Donald Trump. He must unleash devastation on the entire world order. He does so SOLELY for two reasons: (1) to satisfy his prodigious ego, and (2) to enrich himself, his family and his accomplices. And it absolutely astounds me that so many are either blind to this evil or, worse, tolerate it out of self-interest.

Of course, scripture reminds me that God has put Trump in office to accomplish His purposes – not mine. The fact that I do not understand what those purposes are is quite discomforting – as is the fact that POTUS’ distressing disdain for God’s word is emboldened by many white evangelicals.

But I will trust God. I can share my lament with Him as does the future King David in Psalm 13:1-2, knowing that my confusion and fear are not hidden from Him:

How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart daily?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

I can urgently pray to Him, seeking the Lord’s intervention, as David does in verses 3-4:

Consider and hear me, O Lord my God;
Enlighten my eyes,
Lest I sleep the sleep of death;
Lest my enemy say,
“I have prevailed against him”;
Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

And I can trust in God’s steadfast love and be confident of rejoicing in His salvation, as does David in verses 5-6:

But I have trusted in Your mercy;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

Psalm 13 reminds us that lament can coexist with trust – and prayer can transform despair into hope. David’s appeal demonstrates that it is in faith – not faithlessness – that we bring our sorrow and doubt to God.

Trusting in God does not require political passivity or apathy. Nor does it encourage withdrawal from justice, advocacy and civic responsibility through blind obedience to the state.

Rather, trusting in “Him who judges righteously” (1 Peter 2:23) is a central posture of our faith that shapes how we must respond to uncertainty, to conflict and to injustice. We do so in humility and with conviction, rootedness and resilience.

And we remember the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans 12:19:

“Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

Related: Spiritual Truths through Music: Trust in God; TRUMP

Discovering Spiritual Truths through Music: “Trust in God”

Tom Ratkovich, , , , , , 2 Comments

In a recent FB post, a dear friend of mine characterized faith as a “fear of death scam.” Like many who have yet to know Christ, he revels in his unbelief.

I, for one, certainly do not fear death. Nor do I long for it. I see my time in this world as an opportunity to glorify God and strive to bring others to Him.

It was not always so. My friend, who has been more like a brother for fifty years, has seen me at my absolute worst. It is not unreasonable to think that my rebirth in Christ strained the limits of my credibility with him.

Because I love him, I pray for his change of heart. And because many others have also borne witness to the depths of my sin, I author this blog, hoping that the radical transformation that has manifested in me may prompt some to revisit the inherent truth in scripture.

I have addressed my friend’s unbelief in a prior post. As noted therein, I believe professing and advocating atheism is in itself an expression of fear.

I have not been shy about sharing the reasons for my faith. Many of these reasons are shared in a series of blog posts under the heading “Why I Believe.” Absent in those posts is the reason “fear of death.”

I truly believe that anyone who studies scripture with an open mind and tender heart cannot do so without being transformed by the love, grace and, yes, the logic embedded therein. It is also evident, however, that those with hardened hearts – those seeking reasons to ridicule those of faith and continue to glory in their love of the world – will likewise be successful.

In this, I speak from experience. For so much of my life, my heart was diseased by pride – by the need to glorify myself. Without the Lord’s intervention, I would remain ignorant of His word and disobedient to it.

God, in His immense goodness, rescued me at a time of bitter anguish. He allowed me, in the poor exercise of my own free will, to fall into a state of utter despair, knowing that I could escape only by putting my trust in Him.

As beautifully described in this worship song from Elevation Worship:

I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered
That’s why I trust Him, that’s why I trust in God

It was not a fear of death that led me to Christ. It was the fear of living without Him. Please have a listen.