Trusting God’s Word
Andi Merrill / Pastor of Worship Arts
“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Joshua 1:8
I’ve had this verse taped on my bathroom storage cabinet for the last six years or so. It’s been my reminder to stay in the Word, to think about what I’m reading, and then follow through on its instructions. I’ve always said to myself that it’s not because I want to be “prosperous and successful,” but because I just want to please God. And then I hit what’s felt like an unsuccessful season and I’m realizing I was kidding myself! I DO want prosperity and success! And when I don’t feel like that’s what I’m getting, I’ve realized that I’ve started to doubt Scripture. I’m just being totally honest here, and I don’t like saying that I have doubted Scripture or doubted God, but I’m thinking I’m not the only one out there who has these struggles!
Scriptures that I once quoted with vigor, like Jeremiah 29:11, have felt different in my heart lately - like I can’t fully believe it’s true. It’s been frustrating because I think I always saw myself as a person with the gift of faith, and the reality is that if I don’t fully believe Scripture, what do I have to stand on? Is this what the world feels like? Yikes, Lord help us all!
One thing I have gotten good at is having honest conversations with God. I’ve been asking Him a lot of WHY questions and that He strengthen my faith again. A few weeks ago, I was listening to YouVersion’s Verse of the Day Guided Scripture video and I felt like God spoke to me loud and clear through it (I love when He does that!). He reminded me that I’ve been living on His Word since I was a kid. He knows I’ve been through a lot and my heart has been a little jaded from the experiences. He sees me where I am, but He then said ... here’s the good part ... “Are you going to trust My Word in totality, or not?” I can’t believe parts of Scripture, and not others just because of a season I’m in. I either believe it all or I don’t. I believe God or I don’t.
When I start reading Scripture with faith – believing that it’s all true – my mood shifts, my heart lifts, and I start to gain traction in my day because I believe God has my back and my best interest in mind. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” Reading Scripture is one thing. Reading Scripture, meditating on it with FAITH that it is true, and that God is for us is completely different. Being prosperous and successful is a state of the heart in God’s mind, not just a material state. I’ll continue to look at Joshua 1:8 taped up in my bathroom. I’ll read what God said to Joshua as he prepared to lead the people into the promised land, and I’ll just let God keep growing my faith as I press in and TRUST His words!