TRUST

TRUST

“Quality of Life Series”

10/19/04

LEADER: “Is Anybody Up There?”

http://www.infolanka.com/jokes/messages/1968.html

A man was walking in the mountains just enjoying the scenery when he stepped too close to the edge of the mountain and started to fall. In desperation he reached out and grabbed a limb of a gnarly old tree hanging onto the side of the cliff. Full of fear he assessed his situation. He was about 100 feet down a shear cliff and about 900 feet from the floor of the canyon below. If he should slip again he'd plummet to his death. Full of fear, he cries out, "Help me!" But there was no answer. Again and again he cried out but to no avail. Finally he yelled, "Is anybody up there?"

A deep voice replied, "Yes, I'm up here."

"Who is it?"

"It's the Lord"

"Can you help me?"

"Yes, I can help."

"Help me!"

"Let go."

Looking around the man became full of panic. "What?!?!"

"Let go. I will catch you."

"Uh... Is there anybody else up there?"

LEADER: Who do you trust?

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Apprehensive Trusting”

http://www.higherpraise.org/illustrations/trust.htm

Uncle Oscar was apprehensive about his first airplane ride. His friends, eager to hear how it went, asked if he enjoyed the flight. "Well," commented Uncle Oscar, "it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be, but I'll tell you this. I never did put all my weight down!"

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Lightning”

http://www.sermonillustrator.org/illustrator/sermon2b/lightening.htm

A little girl walked daily to and from school. Thought the weather that morning was questionable and clouds were forming, she made her daily trek to the elementary school.

As the afternoon progressed, the winds whipped up, also with thunder and lightening. The mother of the little girl felt concerned that her daughter would be frightened as she walked home from school, and she herself feared that the electrical storm might harm her child. Following the roar of thunder, lightening, like a flaming sword, would cut the sky.

Full of concern, the mother quickly got into her car and drove her car along the route to her child's school. As she did so, she saw her little girl walking along, but at each flash of lightening, the child would stop, look and smile.

Another and another were to follow quickly, each with the little girl stopping, looking at the streak of light and smiling. Finally, the mother called her over to the car and asked, "What are you doing?" The child answered, "God just keeps taking pictures of me."

God Bless you today as you face the storms that come your way...

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Trust – A Definition”

http://www.entwagon.com/cgi-bin/quotes/quotes.pl?cat=Trust

By Douglas Murray Mcgregor, 1906-1964, American Management Theorist, Educator

TRUST: I know that you will not -- deliberately or accidentally, consciously or unconsciously -- take unfair advantage of me. I can put my situation at the moment, my status and self-esteem in this group, our relationship, my job, my career, even my life, in your hands with complete confidence.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Trust or Catastrophe”

By Robert W. Sutton

http://www.higherpraise.org/illustrations/trust.htm
A television program preceding the 1988 Winter Olympics featured blind skiers being trained for slalom skiing, impossible as that sounds. Paired with sighted skiers, the blind skiers were taught on the flats how to make right and left turns. When that was mastered, they were taken to the slalom slope, where their sighted partners skied beside them shouting, "Left!" and "Right!" As they obeyed the commands, they were able to negotiate the course and cross the finish line, depending solely on the sighted skiers' word. It was either complete trust or catastrophe.

What a vivid picture of the Christian life! In this world, we are in reality blind about what course to take. We must rely solely on the Word of the only One who is truly sighted--God Himself. His Word gives us the direction we need to finish the course.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Who Holds The Rope?”

http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc/odb/odb-04-08-96.shtml

I will never leave you nor forsake you. --Hebrews 13:5

Some years ago I read an account that went something like this:

A group of scientists and botanists were exploring remote regions of the Alps in search of new species of flowers. One day they noticed through binoculars a flower of such rarity and beauty that its value to science was incalculable. But it lay deep in a ravine with cliffs on both sides. To get the flower someone had to be lowered over the cliff on a rope.

A curious young boy was watching nearby, and the scientists told him they would pay him well if he would agree to be lowered over the cliff to retrieve the flower below.

The boy took one long look down the steep, dizzy depths and said, "I'll be back in a minute." A short time later he returned, followed by a gray-haired man. Approaching the botanist, the boy said, "I'll go over that cliff and get that flower for you if this man holds the rope. He's my dad."

Oh, that God might give us the faith of that boy! Have you learned to trust the Lord like that, my friend? If anyone else holds the rope, I dare not go. But since Jesus is holding me fast, I can never doubt. Are you willing to say, "If my Father holds the rope, I shall not fear"? --M. R. De Haan

He holds my hand, this wonderful Savior,
And He is mine;
So why should I fear when I know He's so near,
And I know that His hand holds mine? --Smith

Fear fades when we trust our Father.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “You’re My Dad”

Tim Hansel, Holy Sweat, 1987, Word Books Publisher, pp. 46-47.

http://www.higherpraise.org/illustrations/trust.htm

One day, while my son Zac and I were out in the country, climbing around in some cliffs, I heard a voice from above me yell, "Hey Dad! Catch me!" I turned around to see Zac joyfully jumping off a rock straight at me. He had jumped and them yelled "Hey Dad!" I became an instant circus act, catching him. We both fell to the ground. For a moment after I caught him I could hardly talk.

When I found my voice again I gasped in exasperation: "Zac! Can you give me one good reason why you did that???"

He responded with remarkable calmness: "Sure...because you're my Dad." His whole assurance was based in the fact that his father was trustworthy. He could live life to the hilt because I could be trusted. Isn't this even more true for a Christian?

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Trust” From The Upper Room

by Jane Cooper DeNunzio

http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/default.asp?start_pos=1&item_id=14707

When he noticed the strong wind, [Peter] became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!"

-Matthew 14:30

My granddaughter was very young when we decided to take her to the beach for her first visit. The cottage we stayed in was not on the water front. As we walked through the loose sand to reach the shore and ocean, I said, "Katie, take my hand."

She replied, "No, Grandma. You hold my hand. I know you won't let go." She chose to trust me, knowing that I would never let go. Katie's words brought to mind one of God's greatest promises, "I will never leave you or forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5).

The Apostle Peter chose to trust Jesus and stepped out of the boat. For a few moments he must have known the joy of walking on water with complete security. But when he took his eyes off Jesus, he began to sink.

If we want to experience God's power, we must choose to trust God and then actively continue that trust. The psalmist wrote, "Trust in the LORD, and do good . . . . Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for him" (Psalm 37:3, 7). Trust is a choice to believe and obey God.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “God Is In Control” EXCERPTS

http://www.cfdevotionals.org/devpages/de960906.htm

In her song "God is in Control," Twila Paris sings "...Hold on to all that you hide in your heart, There is one thing that has always been true, It holds the world together, God is in control...." Good theology, I believe.... If you are like me, you find yourself worrying, as I mentioned in last week's devotional. Sometimes I think we forget that no matter what things seem on the surface, God is in control. Things may seem chaotic, out of control, scary, overwhelming, very painful. But when we start feeling like that, we need to stop, step back and refocus on Him, and remember that He will take care of us:

And when we "mess up," or when bad things happen, and we think perhaps sometimes that no good can come out of it, we are wrong. God uses EVERYthing, good bad and ugly. He uses our mistakes. He uses our pain. He uses everything to teach us, to make us grow, to glorify Him: Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Learning To Trust” By Mark Karpinski

http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/default.asp?start_pos=1&item_id=178766

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

I was traveling north on the interstate when I noticed the highway was going to divide a short distance ahead. I needed to be in the right lane, but I was going too fast on the rain-soaked roadway. As I applied the brakes, my van headed straight for the trees in the median. The harder I braked, the more it headed for the trees. In desperation I gave up trying to stop the van and took my foot off the brake. To my surprise and relief, my van came to a sudden stop without crashing.

Life often seems like my experience with the van. The more I try to control a difficult situation on my own and set my life in the direction I want, the more difficult things become. I feel as though I am fighting to keep from crashing. Almost in desperation, I finally relinquish control to God. As I learn to trust, God brings calm to my life; I avoid crashing and can continue in the direction God points me. God has always provided for me and always will. I want to acknowledge this provision and strive to "trust in the Lord with all my heart" at all times, rather than waiting until I am desperate.

LEADER: In God we trust. Our nation was founded on our forefathers’ faith and trust in the Lord.

LEADER: “In God We Trust” EXCERPT By Michael Novak

http://www.hooverdigest.org/002/novak.html

When Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence he mentioned God twice. Before Congress would sign it, members insisted on two more references to God. Thus, these four names: the Author "of nature and nature's laws"; the Creator who endowed in us our rights; the Judge to whom we appeal in witness that our motives spring not out of seditiousness, but from a dear love of liberty and a deep sense of our own proper dignity; and Providence, a trust in divine Providence.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “History of ‘In God We Trust’” #1 EXERPT

http://www.ustreas.gov/education/fact-sheets/currency/in-god-we-trust.html

The motto IN GOD WE TRUST was placed on United States coins largely because of the increased religious sentiment existing during the Civil War. Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase received many appeals from devout persons throughout the country, urging that the United States recognize the Deity on United States coins. From Treasury Department records, it appears that the first such appeal came in a letter dated November 13, 1861. It was written to Secretary Chase by Rev. M. R. Watkinson, Minister of the Gospel from Ridleyville, Pennsylvania, and read:

Dear Sir: You are about to submit your annual report to the Congress respecting the affairs of the national finances.

One fact touching our currency has hitherto been seriously overlooked. I mean the recognition of the Almighty God in some form on our coins.

You are probably a Christian. What if our Republic were not shattered beyond reconstruction? Would not the antiquaries of succeeding centuries rightly reason from our past that we were a heathen nation? What I propose is that instead of the goddess of liberty we shall have next inside the 13 stars a ring inscribed with the words PERPETUAL UNION; within the ring the allseeing eye, crowned with a halo; beneath this eye the American flag, bearing in its field stars equal to the number of the States united; in the folds of the bars the words GOD, LIBERTY, LAW.

This would make a beautiful coin, to which no possible citizen could object. This would relieve us from the ignominy of heathenism. This would place us openly under the Divine protection we have personally claimed. From my hearth I have felt our national shame in disowning God as not the least of our present national disasters.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “History of ‘In God We Trust’” #2 EXERPT

http://www.ustreas.gov/education/fact-sheets/currency/in-god-we-trust.html

As a result, Secretary Chase instructed James Pollock, Director of the Mint at Philadelphia, to prepare a motto, in a letter dated November 20, 1861:

Dear Sir: No nation can be strong except in the strength of God, or safe except in His defense. The trust of our people in God should be declared on our national coins.

You will cause a device to be prepared without unnecessary delay with a motto expressing in the fewest and tersest words possible this national recognition.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “History of ‘In God We Trust’” #3 EXERPT

http://www.ustreas.gov/education/fact-sheets/currency/in-god-we-trust.html

The Congress passed the Act of April 22, 1864. This legislation changed the composition of the one-cent coin and authorized the minting of the two-cent coin. The Mint Director was directed to develop the designs for these coins for final approval of the Secretary. IN GOD WE TRUST first appeared on the 1864 two-cent coin.

Another Act of Congress passed on March 3, 1865. It allowed the Mint Director, with the Secretary's approval, to place the motto on all gold and silver coins that "shall admit the inscription thereon." Under the Act, the motto was placed on the gold double-eagle coin, the gold eagle coin, and the gold half-eagle coin. It was also placed on the silver dollar coin, the half-dollar coin and the quarter-dollar coin, and on the nickel three-cent coin beginning in 1866. Later, Congress passed the Coinage Act of February 12, 1873. It also said that the Secretary "may cause the motto IN GOD WE TRUST to be inscribed on such coins as shall admit of such motto."

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “History of ‘In God We Trust’” #4 EXERPT

http://www.ustreas.gov/education/fact-sheets/currency/in-god-we-trust.html

A law passed by the 84th Congress (P.L. 84-140) and approved by the President on July 30, 1956, the President approved a Joint Resolution of the 84th Congress, declaring IN GOD WE TRUST the national motto of the United States. IN GOD WE TRUST was first used on paper money in 1957, when it appeared on the one-dollar silver certificate. The first paper currency bearing the motto entered circulation on October 1, 1957. Gradually IN GOD WE TRUST was included on the back design of all classes and denominations of currency.

LEADER: And thanks to Julia and all her team…we now have “In God We Trust” posters in every classroom in Granbury.

Is it just a poster…is it just a slogan?

HAVE SOMEONE READ: Jeremiah 17:7

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: Psalm 9:10

And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: Psalm 31:14

But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD, I say, "[Ps 140:6] You are my God."

HAVE SOMEONE READ: Psalm 33:21

For our heart rejoices in Him, Because we trust in His holy name.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: Psalm 37:3-7

Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday sun.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: Psalm 56:4

In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?

HAVE SOMEONE READ: Psalm 118:8

It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in man.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: Proverbs 3:5-6
⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. ⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: Isaiah 12:2
"Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the LORD GOD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation."

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Submission to God's Authority”

http://www.cfdevotionals.org/devpages/de971020.htm EXCERPT

Matt. 28:18, All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.

“I dare not choose my lot; I would not if I might. Choose thou for me, my God, So shall I walk aright.” --Horatius Bonar

In America submission is a four letter word, almost anyway you spell it. It is suggested, on bumper stickers, all over our nation that we “question authority”. Regardless of how we each feel about authority figures, there is one authority to avoid questioning. That would be God. Submission to the will of God is one of the acts of Christian contentment that is inescapable in the Christian life. John Calvin, no matter what one thinks of him and his theological views, is right when he says, “There is nothing holier, or better, or safer, than to content ourselves with the authority of Christ alone.” Christian contentment begins with submitting to the will of the Lord Jesus Christ. Submission to the will of God is the fruit of faith. We must be content to enjoy those things that God will have us to enjoy, to want what His will would have us want, and to give up that which He would have us part with. (2 Sam 15:26, 27; Job 1:21) Many make a show of submitting to God’s authority. They protest that they have given all to God; wealth, possessions, family, dreams, desires, etc. Some do this honestly, in faith, but others do this for show, as a Pharisee, because they are convinced in their hearts that God will never put them to trial. For these this is a false “deal with God” and it manifests itself when God takes anything away and it leads to murmuring and complaining at how the hand of the Lord is heavy upon them. No matter our station in life, no matter our hopes, dreams, and aspirations, let us trust God to direct our lives. To lead us in His will and to submit to His judgments as joyfully as we do to His blessings “We should give God the same place in our hearts that he holds in the universe.”

HAVE SOMEONE READ: Psalm 16 – A POEM By Sharon Warden

http://www.sermonillustrator.org/illustrator/sermon3b/psalm_16.htm

(Isaiah 45: 22, "Look to Me and be saved,

All you ends of the earth.

For I am God and there is no other.")

Keep me safe, My God,

My trust is in Your Hand.

You are my cup and portion

As I live within this land.

My heart cries deep within me,

"You, You are the Light

That guides me, keeps me day by day

By Your sovereign power and might."

If I would follow other gods

Seeking fame or gold,

My sorrows would be multiplied to me.

They'd leave me dead and cold.

But You, oh Lord, I'll bless forever

And I shall not be moved,

Because You are holding my right hand;

Your steadfastness You've proved.

You'll show me how to walk my path

On earth, without disruption.

And when at last I see Your Face,

I will not see corruption.

My flesh rejoices, rests in hope.

My soul and spirit, too,

That I shall have eternal life,

My God, to live with You.

LEADER: We trust Him with eternal life…do we also trust Him with our present life…are we trusting Him in the moment…in this moment… in every moment.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “What’s Ahead?” Our DailyBread 3/16/00 EXERPT

http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc/odb/odb-03-06-00.shtml

God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. –Revelation 21:4

If we consider what people thought years ago about life in the future, we realize how hard it is to know what's ahead. For instance, what if everyone had believed the patent office worker who, in 1899, said, "Everything that can be invented has been invented"? Or what if folks in the 19th-century had believed this memo from Western Union: "The telephone has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication"?

Predictions about the future are usually bad guesses. When I was a kid, I read science magazines that said that by the end of the 20th century we would all be flying around in air-cars and living in domed houses.

One source for what's ahead, however, is never wrong. It's God's Word! The Bible has reassuring words for those who "believe that Jesus died and rose again" (1 Th. 4:14). The apostle Paul gave us the comforting words that "the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout" (v.16). Christ will return to gather together all those, both living and dead, who have placed their faith in Him. "And thus we shall always be with the Lord," wrote Paul (v.17). No matter what's ahead for us, we may with certainty "comfort one another with these words" (v.18). –JDB

I will not seek to know the future years,
Nor cloud today with dark tomorrow's fears;
Instead I ask clear light from heaven to show
How step by step my pilgrimage should go. –Anon.

We can trust our all-knowing God for the unknown future.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Trust” from Christian Fellowship Devotionals

http://www.cfdevotionals.org/devpg98/de980428.htm EXCERPT

Such trust have we through Christ towards God. 2 Corinthians 3:4

We are to depend upon God in times of prosperity and times of adversity. “You shall make the Most High your refuge...” (Psalm 91:9). No matter our condition, our dependence must be upon God. When times of blessing are upon us, God is to be acknowledged as the fountain of those blessings. To practice this is to avoid becoming enticed by outward blessings that have been granted to us. On the contrary it simply raises our love and affection towards God. Sometimes aspects of our lives cause an increased burden upon us. Sometimes we feel that God has left us alone as David did, but David sets the example for us, he continued to trust God. Psalm 142: 4, 5, “Refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul: I cried unto thee, O Lord, and said, You are my refuge and portion in the land of the living.”

The providence and promises of God effect every aspect of our lives, both our outward and inward person. It is an issue of trust for the Christian to believe in God’s tender and Fatherly care for us, His children. This trust is not found in God alone as a deist would say, but rather it is found in God as He is understood by us through the redemption of our Lord Jesus Christ and the ministry of the Holy Spirit, to us, in applying the fruits of that redemption to our hearts and lives.

“The proper signification of the word trust, according to the more ordinary use of it, both in common speech and in the Holy Scriptures, is the emboldening and encouragement of a person’s mind, to run some venture in practice, or in something that he does, on the credit of another’s sufficiency and faithfulness.” Jonathan Edwards

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “In Our Weakness” By Peter Kennedy

http://www.sermonillustrator.org/illustrator/sermon6/in_our_weakness.htm

"'But Lord,' Gideon asked, 'how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.'" - Judges 6:15
Once when he was to preach at the University of Sydney in Australia, evangelist and pastor John Stott lost his voice. He says:

"What can you do with a missionary who has no voice? We had come to the last night of the [evangelistic campaign]. The students had booked the big university hall. A group of students gathered around me, and I asked them to pray as Paul did, that this thorn in the flesh might be taken from me. But we went on to pray that if it pleased God to keep me in weakness, I would rejoice in my infirmities in order that the power of Christ might rest upon me.

As it turned out, I had to get within one inch of the microphone just to croak the gospel. I was unable to use any inflection of voice to express my personality. It was just a croak in a monotone, and all the time we were crying to God that his power would be demonstrated in human weakness.

Well, I can honestly say that there was a far greater response that night than any other night. I've been back to Australia ten times now, and on every occasion somebody has come up to me and said, 'Do you remember that night when you lost your voice? I was converted that night.'"
The Lord loves us when we are weak, because it is then that He can work through us. Today in prayer, give thanks to the Lord that when we are weak He is strong.
"God had looked for a man weak enough, and He found me." - Hudson Taylor
God's Word: "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." –

2 Corinthians 12:9

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Give God A Chance” Our Daily Bread 8/29/00

http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc/odb/odb-08-29-00.shtml

He could do no mighty work there. . . . And He marveled because of their unbelief. —Mark 6:5-6

A child once asked, "What does God do all day?" If the answer to that question depended on how much we allow God to do in our individual lives, some of us would have to reply, "Not much!" In difficult situations, it's easy to say we trust God and yet try to handle things ourselves without turning to Him and His Word. This is masked unbelief. Although God is constantly working, He allows us to set a limit on the degree of work He does on our behalf.

We see this truth demonstrated in Mark 6 when Jesus tried to do mighty things in His hometown. Because the people saw Him merely as a carpenter's son and not as God's Son, they limited what He could do for them (v.5). So Jesus moved on to other towns.

During my younger years, I tried hard to be a strong Christian, seldom revealing my weaknesses. Then, through a rock-bottom experience, I made this dynamic discovery: Strong Christians are those who unashamedly admit their weaknesses and draw on Christ's power. The more I learned to depend on God, the more opportunity this gave Him to be active in my life. Now, whenever I face a daunting task, I say, "Joanie and Jesus can do it!" So can you and Jesus. —JEY

I am trusting Thee, Lord Jesus;
Never let me fall;
I am trusting Thee forever,
And for all. —Havergal

We must admit our weakness to experience God's strength.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Leaping With Joy”

http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc/odb/odb-07-29-96.shtml

Whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:4

One nice thing about having a young daughter is the frequent reminders she gives me about joyful trust. Debbie still jumps into my arms from the stairs, the porch, or the picnic table with a shout and a great big smile. We never have a long discussion ahead of time about whether or not I'll catch her. She just looks at me and leaps.

As adults, we tend to become more cautious with age. That may be all right in driving a car or spending money, but it is stifling in our relationship with God.

When the disciples of Jesus wanted to know who was greatest in the kingdom of heaven, the Lord pointed to a child as He spoke of conversion and humility: "Whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" Matthew 18:4.

How I long to become more childlike each year with my heavenly Father instead of more hesitant, more calculating, more insistent that He guarantee the results before I'll take a step of faith. Rather than becoming more cautious as I age, I want to become more daring in my walk with God. Instead of being obsessed with landing safely and looking good, I want to leap with humble, joyful abandon toward my heavenly Father's arms. -- (DCM)

I take my Father's hand in faith,
Though where He leads I may not see;
My hand is given into His--
I trust Him as my child trusts me. --Shoemaker

Childlike faith focuses on our heavenly Father,
not on our fears.

LEADER: Most of us sang a children’s hymn when we were little… let’s listen to the words again…Can we still sing

“Jesus Loves Me”

Jesus loves me! This I know,
For the Bible tells me so;
Little ones to Him belong,
They are weak but He is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

LEADER: Remember it is in our weakness we lean on His strength.

There’s three more verses:
Jesus loves me! He who died,
Heaven's gate to open wide;
He will wash away my sin,
Let His little child come in.
(Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.)
Jesus loves me! loves me still,
When I'm very weak and ill;
From His shining throne on high,
Comes to watch me where I lie.
(Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.)
Jesus loves me! He will stay,
Close beside me all the way;
He's prepared a home for me,
And some day His face I'll see.
(Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.)

YES JESUS LOVES ME!

LEADER: “Trust Him”

http://www.higherpraise.org/illustrations/trust.htm

Trust Him when dark doubts assail thee,

Trust Him when thy strength is small,

Trust Him when to simply trust Him

Seems the hardest thing of all.

Trust Him, He is ever faithful,

Trust Him, for his will is best,

Trust Him, for the heart of Jesus

Is the only place of rest.

LEADER: WHO DO YOU TRUST?

COMMENTS IF TIME:

STOP AT 10 TILL FOR

PRAYER REQUESTS AND PRAISES:

CUT AND DISTRIBUTE FOR READING:

“Apprehensive Trusting”

“Lightning”

A little girl walked daily to and from school. Thought the weather that morning was questionable and clouds were forming, she made her daily trek to the elementary school.

God Bless you today as you face the storms that come your way...

“Trust – A Definition”

“Trust or Catastrophe”

A television program preceding the 1988 Winter Olympics featured blind skiers being trained for slalom skiing, impossible as that sounds. Paired with sighted skiers, the blind skiers were taught on the flats how to make right and left turns. When that was mastered, they were taken to the slalom slope, where their sighted partners skied beside them shouting, "Left!" and "Right!" As they obeyed the commands, they were able to negotiate the course and cross the finish line, depending solely on the sighted skiers' word. It was either complete trust or catastrophe.

Jeremiah 17:7

Psalm 9:10

“Who Holds The Rope?”

I will never leave you nor forsake you. --Hebrews 13:5

Some years ago I read an account that went something like this:

A curious young boy was watching nearby, and the scientists told him they would pay him well if he would agree to be lowered over the cliff to retrieve the flower below.

He holds my hand, this wonderful Savior,
And He is mine;
So why should I fear when I know He's so near,
And I know that His hand holds mine? --Smith

Fear fades when we trust our Father.

“You’re My Dad”

When I found my voice again I gasped in exasperation: "Zac! Can you give me one good reason why you did that???"

Psalm 31:14

Psalm 33:21

Psalm 37:3-7

Psalm 56:4

“History of ‘In God We Trust’” #2 EXERPT

As a result, Secretary Chase instructed James Pollock, Director of the Mint at Philadelphia, to prepare a motto, in a letter dated November 20, 1861:

Dear Sir: No nation can be strong except in the strength of God, or safe except in His defense. The trust of our people in God should be declared on our national coins.

You will cause a device to be prepared without unnecessary delay with a motto expressing in the fewest and tersest words possible this national recognition.

“Trust” From The Upper Room

When he noticed the strong wind, [Peter] became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!"

-Matthew 14:30

“God Is In Control”

Psalm 118:8

Proverbs 3:5-6

Isaiah 12:2

“Learning To Trust”

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

“History of ‘In God We Trust’” #1 EXERPT

The motto IN GOD WE TRUST was placed on United States coins largely because of the increased religious sentiment existing during the Civil War. Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase received many appeals from devout persons throughout the country, urging that the United States recognize the Deity on United States coins. From Treasury Department records, it appears that the first such appeal came in a letter dated November 13, 1861. It was written to Secretary Chase by Rev. M. R. Watkinson, Minister of the Gospel from Ridleyville, Pennsylvania, and read:

Dear Sir: You are about to submit your annual report to the Congress respecting the affairs of the national finances.

One fact touching our currency has hitherto been seriously overlooked. I mean the recognition of the Almighty God in some form on our coins.

“History of ‘In God We Trust’” #3 EXERPT

“Submission to God's Authority”

Matt. 28:18, All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.

“I dare not choose my lot; I would not if I might. Choose thou for me, my God, So shall I walk aright.” --Horatius Bonar

“History of ‘In God We Trust’” #4 EXERPT

Psalm 16 – A POEM By Sharon Warden

(Isaiah 45: 22, "Look to Me and be saved,

All you ends of the earth.

For I am God and there is no other.")

Keep me safe, My God,

My trust is in Your Hand.

You are my cup and portion

As I live within this land.

My heart cries deep within me,

"You, You are the Light

That guides me, keeps me day by day

By Your sovereign power and might."

If I would follow other gods

Seeking fame or gold,

My sorrows would be multiplied to me.

They'd leave me dead and cold.

But You, oh Lord, I'll bless forever

And I shall not be moved,

Because You are holding my right hand;

Your steadfastness You've proved.

You'll show me how to walk my path

On earth, without disruption.

And when at last I see Your Face,

I will not see corruption.

My flesh rejoices, rests in hope.

My soul and spirit, too,

That I shall have eternal life,

My God, to live with You.

“What’s Ahead?”

God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. –Revelation 21:4

I will not seek to know the future years,
Nor cloud today with dark tomorrow's fears;
Instead I ask clear light from heaven to show
How step by step my pilgrimage should go. –Anon.

We can trust our all-knowing God for the unknown future.

“Trust” from Christian Fellowship Devotionals

Such trust have we through Christ towards God. 2 Corinthians 3:4

“Leaping With Joy”

Whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:4

As adults, we tend to become more cautious with age. That may be all right in driving a car or spending money, but it is stifling in our relationship with God.

I take my Father's hand in faith,
Though where He leads I may not see;
My hand is given into His--
I trust Him as my child trusts me. --Shoemaker

Childlike faith focuses on our heavenly Father, not on our fears.

“Give God A Chance

He could do no mighty work there. . . . And He marveled because of their unbelief. —Mark 6:5-6

I am trusting Thee, Lord Jesus;
Never let me fall;
I am trusting Thee forever,
And for all. —Havergal

We must admit our weakness to experience God's strength.

“In Our Weakness”