Jesus Trusted The Father

What Did Jesus Do?

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3.5-6

My friend Philip preached about thanksgiving last Sunday, a timely message certainly. But Phil's focus was not so much on thanksgiving, but rather on what gets in the way of our being thankful, not just on the fourth Thursday of November, but every day. Philip rightly made the point that people who are not content find it hard to be truly faithful.

When we're not content our hearts are always troubled by wanting. Perhaps we feel life has served us too small a portion of success, or wealth, or prestige. Or, conversely, we may be convinced that life has unfairly dealt us far more than our share of troubles, suffering, and sorrows. It might just be that we want, not so much more or less of something, we just want something different. We've got a beautiful spacious home, but for some reason we just have to get an addition built. Or we tool around in a fine set of late model wheels, but can't get a decent night's rest until we get the newer, more powerful ride parked in our garage. All this manner of all but endless and insatiable wanting sooner or later makes us anxious (As in the aforementioned sleepless nights pining over a new car.). The effect of anxiety is to wear down and worry the heart (See Proverbs 12.25), making thanksgiving all but impossible.

Contentment is simply essential to thanksgiving. Discontent, on the other hand, is the chief ingredient in disaster. As Paul advised his protege Timothy, “Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment...But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” (1Timothy 6.6,9) Now, I believe that perhaps the biggest reason we all suffer from discontent at some time or another, and why some of us are plagued to death by discontent, is a matter of trust, or more accurately, a pernicious distrust of God.

You see, if we are always second guessing God, are always convinced that we know better than the Father, that lack of trust will inevitably cause us to grow anxious. We will either become impatient with what we convince ourselves is God's slowness, or fretful that he either doesn't know all the facts or, worse, that somehow he doesn't really care about us. I think you can see how this kind of distrustful attitude towards the Father can lead to our becoming less than thankful children.

What is the real cause of thanklessness? Our faith. What do we really believe about God? That his steadfast love never ceases? That his mercies never come to an end, and that he offers them to us fresh and new each morning? That his faithfulness is great (As in unending!)? When the Lord is our portion it is he, and he alone whom we hope in. (See Lamentations 3.22-24) If this isn't what we believe about him, our beliefs are faulty. And faulty beliefs will mess us up sooner or later.

Whether we have a job, or are unemployed; whether we live in a mansion, or a homeless shelter; whether we have a million in the bank, or our account balance is zero; whether we are as healthy as or horse, or the “ol' gray mare” is broken down by illness and infirmity, is, ultimately, immaterial to our thankfulness. The Father looks after us 24/7, and has through the Son made us eternally secure. Surely this is reason enough for us to be eternally grateful.

All that the Son did, he did with complete faith in the Father. You don't think Jesus went to the cross wondering what was going to happen to him, did you? No, he trusted the Father with his life, and with his death.

I am not saying it is always easy to be thankful, or that the way of faith is an easy or always pleasant path to tread. Jesus asked the Father in the garden of Gesthemane if there might be another way. And, yes, even the Lord cried out in anguish and despair from the cross. Yet it was into the Father's hands he committed his spirit because Jesus trusted the Father.

While I certainly hope you have a comfortable home, a healthy family, a secure job, and financial resources to give thanks for this year, I pray even more that you have trust in the Father so that you will give him thanks. That's what Jesus did.

Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4