Monday, February 10, 2025

New Testament Reading Plan: Romans 5

When someone says, “trust in the Lord,” what does that mean to you?  

This common phrase is used when we come up against any number of obstacles as we travel through life. We are encouraged to trust God with our job, our kids, our finances, and every other decision we have to make. 

If you are like me, you place a lot of expectations on yourself and others that are often impossible to live up to. However, we have the opportunity to trust in God alone. This takes the pressure off of us and those around us. 

Jeremiah 17:7 
“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.”

First and foremost, unlike us, God is holy and perfect, completely and unlimitedly good (Luke 18:19, 1 John 4:8). He promises that he began a good work in you and will continue it until he returns (Philippians 1:6). While we only have a vague idea of what will go on in our day and almost no clue about the future, God is omniscient, all knowing. 

1 John 3:20 NIV
…we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 

God has gone before us and understands every detail of whatever we are going through. When we feel alone and misunderstood, we can trust God because he, and he alone, is omnipresent.  

Psalm 139:7-8 
⁷ I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! ⁸ If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. 

Under our own power, there is only so much that we can accomplish, “but with God everything is possible” (Matthew 19:26). 

What makes more sense: relying on ourselves and those around us or relying on a God who is all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present, and perfectly good and loving? 

Peace comes from trusting the Lord. God will never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). We can trust his perfect character, and when we put our hope and confidence in him, we will be blessed. When you are feeling alone and discouraged, turn your face to the one who knows it all and still loves you more than anything.

Questions:
What are you holding on to that you need to trust God with today?

What does it mean to trust God?

Next Steps:
Take one action step this week that shows you are trusting God with something important to you. Ask a friend to hold you accountable to keep turning it over to God. 

Prayer: 
Lord, I know you are perfect and I am not. Give me comfort in knowing who you are and how much you love me. You are all knowing, always with me, and entirely righteous. I thank you for this. Help me to understand your character better so that I can trust you with everything in my life. Amen.  

Series Theme Verse
Romans 15:4
Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.

This post was written by April Willer, a Perrysburg attendee and regular contributor to the LivingItOut.