How to survive in 2020?

There’s only one way to survive in this world today - trust in God! 

Surrounded as they were by aggressive and powerful nations, there was only one way for God’s people, Israel, to survive in the promised land God had given them. The history of the children of Israel is pretty much a dismal record of how they didn’t trust their Lord. In fact their history includes a period in which they were kicked out of their land for persistently refusing to go God‘s way, but the flip side is that it is also an amazing record of God’s patient plans with people who fail big time and of God’s amazing willingness to use weak people who do trust their God. 

However, the Bible does record a great example of someone who trusted in God. There was a time when Saul, the nation’s first King, was on the throne that the Philistines presented their giant champion Goliath who challenged their champion for a fight. So there is Israel, quaking in their boots because, as usual, they haven’t been trusting God. All they can think about is this larger than life huge Philistine, Goliath, when along comes the runt of a huge family, odd-job boy David, who knows nothing about war, and slays the giant with a single stone from a sling of five. All David can think about is his big God. So God uses a nobody who trusts in Him, and turns him into Israel’s hero who eventually becomes the greatest king of Israel. 

One of the big messages of the Old Testament for us today, is this: DON’T DO AN ISRAEL . Don’t try to survive using your own methods. Trust in God - and what He tells you - and discover just how big He is. David got the point even if everyone else missed it. The Lord is the real hero of the Bible. Yes, there are inspiring human heroes, like David—but they all fail when they forget to trust God. Actually, what God is teaching them and us through this story  is that we need a better ‘hero’ than David; a better king than the greatest king - someone who can rescue us not just from Goliath, but from the greater enemy of our perverse hearts. That someone is Jesus! 

Trusting the Lord Jesus is simply believing that He loves you, He’s good, He has the power to help you, He wants to help you, and He will help you. We trust our friends, the bank, the stock market or the government more than we trust God and His Word. The Lord Jesus says that apart from Him, we can do nothing. We need to lean on Him for help with everything in our lives. Sadly, a lot of people go to church, hear what they should do and then go home and try to do it on their own. They usually end up desperately telling God how hard they’re trying to do what they need to do, and they’re leaving Him out!

God wants us to put Him first in our lives. He wants us to put our confidence and trust in Him, all the time, in everything. So the answer is to 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths'. Life is simple and peaceful when we come to God like little children and say, 'Lord, I don’t want to live on my own. I want to trust You. When I don’t know what to do, I’ll trust You. When I don’t understand why, I’ll trust You. I’ll do my part with Your help, and when I’m done, I’ll trust You to do the rest'.

The good book says - 'Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved,' 

Acts 16:31.

Written by a Guest Blogger