Many of my strongest memories are attached to senses.
My grandmother made us a dessert called Scotcheroos (a mixture of Rice Krispy Treats with peanut butter and a topping which included a layer of melted chocolate and butterscotch). Any version of Rice Krispy Treats takes me back to my childhood.
I dated a girl in college who wore a strong perfume. Encountering a woman today who wears the same perfume reminds me of my college years.
One of the most familiar songs we sang in my church as a kid was entitled “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus.” The most memorable line to me is “I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back.”
I thought of that song when I learned of Air1’s theme for this month - The Redeemer. Trusting in God as our Redeemer requires us to turn our back on any and all other redeemers. To trust in Jesus means to reject other places of trust. Trusting Jesus is an excluding choice.
There’s a phrase for this kind of exclusive choice or embracing of a single path - some call it going “all-in.” I grew up in Las Vegas, so I learned a lot about gambling at at a young age. To get to any bowling alley, ice skating rink, or movie theater, you had to drive to a hotel/casino and walk past the gaming tables. I can remember asking my dad about the basic rules of the games we passed.
In several of the card games we observed, there was a point where a player would push all of his winnings into the middle of a table and go “all-in” on the hand he held. This player put his full trust in his ability to win the game and risked losing it all in the process.
This kind of choice to go all-in is one we can learn from today. Putting one’s full trust in God and going all-in with dependence on Him has been a struggle for God’s people for millennia.
In the Old Testament, we watch countless figures struggle with this. In Samuel 13, King Saul is waiting for the priest Samuel. Samuel doesn’t arrive on Saul’s timetable, so Saul makes the burnt offering himself, in direct violation of God’s commands. It was as if Saul said, “I trusted you, but you didn’t show up on my timetable so I turned to plan B.”
In Isaiah 30, the prophet Isaiah rebukes the people for not trusting in God’s protection and deliverance, but rather going to Egypt for an alliance and security protection. It was as if the people said, “God, we trusted you, but we also had a backup plan.”
In John 18, the Apostle Peter watches Jesus get arrested under the cover of darkness. Unable to believe what Jesus is allowing to happen, Peter pulls out his sword and attacks, cutting off the ear of the High Priest’s servant. It was as if Peter was saying to Jesus, “I trusted you, but you didn’t follow my plan, so I took matters into my own hands.”
While we may not have traveled to Egypt, wielded a sword, or carried a burnt offering, many of us have spoken or felt the words in quotes above. We want to trust God, but when things began to unfold, we realize we didn’t fully trust Him.
I learn the limits of my trust in God as Redeemer by the places where I’ve felt the need to figure out a solution on my own. When that pressure starts coming in on me, I see myself as the one to redeem the situation rather than turning to God as my redeemer.
Those experiences have changed the question I ask about this topic. The question shouldn't be, “Do you trust God?” but rather, “Do you trust yourself more than God?” After all, what does it mean to put your full trust in God?
In light of the Biblical examples mentioned above, I believe fully trusting God as your Redeemer means you stop hedging your bets and having other options.
Consider the words of David in Psalm 18:1-2:
“I love you, LORD; you are my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.” - Psalm 18: 1-2 (NLT)
David wasn’t saying God was one rock among many or one fortress in a line of options. His savior, shield, and place of safety was unlike any other. When we fully trust in God and run to Him, we abandon other redeemers and put our full trust exclusively in God as our Redeemer.
This is the kind of faith and relationship with God which Cody Carnes sings about in his popular song, "Firm Foundation." He sings,
The world around us is being shaken and it will continue to be shaken. We will see and experience things which give us an opportunity to worry and be afraid. Yet in those moments, we will hear the invitation to run to our Redeemer, to stand on the rock that is Christ.
We don’t need to be strong. We don’t need to be powerful. We don’t need to secure ourselves. We need to run to Him, fully trust in Him. In Him, we will find all we need through the storm.
Scott Savage is a pastor and a writer who helps you laugh, challenges you to think, and invites you to grow. He leads Cornerstone Church in Prescott, Arizona. Scott is married to Dani and they are the parents of three “little savages.” He helps hurting people forgive others through his Free to Forgive course and you can read more of his writing at scottsavagelive.com.
