Trust and Believe That

The urban dictionary tells us that the phrase “Trust and Believe” is used to signify one’s assurance of a certain subject. When we Trust and Believe through faith in Jesus, we are assured of our hope in Him for our salvation and eternal life. In our scripture lesson this week (Isaiah 47:10-15), the Babylonians were warned by the prophet Isaiah that their arrogance to trust only in their own power, wisdom, knowledge and abilities, instead of trusting in God, was not going to end well. Isaiah prophesied that they had incurred God’s wrath and that He would put an end to them…and they could trust and believe that! I pray that those who don’t believe that they need God (in everything), will come to see the wisdom in trusting Him always and above everything else. Amen.

You have trusted in your wickedness

and have said, ‘No one sees me.’

Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you

when you say to yourself,

‘I am, and there is none besides me.’

Disaster will come upon you,

and you will not know how to conjure it away.

A calamity will fall upon you

that you cannot ward off with a ransom;

a catastrophe you cannot foresee

will suddenly come upon you. (Isa. 47:10-11)

Babylon trusted in her sorcerers to predict the future and conjure spells to protect them. The people were arrogant and believed that they were alone and unique in their position in the world (…there is none besides me). But God let them know that He alone is sovereign and there is none besides Him. And because of their arrogance and refusal to acknowledge Him, He was going to cause calamity to befall them. They would be conquered and endure hardship that they had never known. Unfortunately for them, the people that they relied on to see the future and cast spells would not be able to foresee the coming disaster and would be useless to them. Whether it’s money, power, fame or intellectual ability…there comes a time when you realize that none of those things can save you.

“Keep on, then, with your magic spells

and with your many sorceries,

which you have labored at since childhood.

Perhaps you will succeed,

perhaps you will cause terror.

All the counsel you have received has only worn you out!

Let your astrologers come forward,

those stargazers who make predictions month by month,

let them save you from what is coming upon you. (Isa. 47:12-13). Isaiah taunted the Babylonians, intimating that those they continued to rely on might be able to save them. Perhaps their sorcerers could cast a spell to cause the enemy that God would raise against them to be terrified. Perhaps their astrologers could be successful in predicting a different future. He invited the Babylonians to continue to let them save her if they could. But Isaiah also pointed out that their counsel would only served to exhaust Babylon, not save them. Chasing after people and things may prove out differently for you…but in all of history, they haven’t saved anyone yet.

Surely they are like stubble;

the fire will burn them up.

They cannot even save themselves

from the power of the flame.

These are not coals for warmth;

this is not a fire to sit by. That is all they are to you—

these you have dealt with

and labored with since childhood.

All of them go on in their error;

there is not one that can save you. (Isa. 47:14-15). But finally, Isaiah dashed the hopes of the Babylonians. He said that their astrologers and sorcerers wouldn’t be able to save them, because those people wouldn’t even be able to save themselves. The Babylonians were relying on and following people who were leading them in error. Instead of their assurances of comfort and warmth to Babylon about their future, they themselves would succumb to the intensity of the fire of judgement that God would bring upon them. And though they had known and trusted the guidance of these people since before Babylon’s rise to power, not one of their wise men or sorcerers would be able to save Babylon from God’s judgement upon her. If you’re following and trusting in anything or anyone but God…you’re going in the wrong direction!

The Babylonians arrogantly believed that the power and wealth they had attained was due to their own ability and wisdom. They believed that no one was on their level and that they didn’t need anyone but themselves…not even God.

Who or what do you put your trust in? If it’s not God, then like Babylon (and so many other empires), your trust is in something that can and will fail you. People who trust in power find that they can’t hold on to it forever. Those who trust in wealth find out that there are some things that money can’t buy, like health and happiness. Those who trust in fame find out that fame is fleeting because the world has a voracious appetite for what the “next thing” is. And those who trust in intellect find out that there is much more that we don’t know, than we do know, or will ever know. The Babylonians never looked to God and trusted Him. They were destroyed because of it. What is it that you need to trust God for instead of trusting in things, people or systems around you? Arrogance, pride and trusting in something other than Him will cause your downfall. In the case of the case of the unrepentant who refuses to come to Him, it will end in their destruction. Whether you need to give your life to Him or you just need to give your problems to Him, He stands ready for you to trust Him. Failing to trust God and give Him the glory will never go well for you and it could result in catastrophic and eternal consequences. And in the warning words of that Auntie that you don’t mess with…”Trust and Believe That!”

Blessings,

Rev. Glenn

For God resists the proud, but gives grace to those who come to Him in humility. (Prov 3:34)