Life.Church with Craig Groeschel - Why should I trust God? | Ever Wonder Why: Part 4

Episode Date: December 5, 2021

Do you ever wonder how to trust God? Or maybe you wonder why you should trust Him given everything you're facing? Let's learn how to build our faith and trust as we continue our series, Ever Wonder Why?ABOUT THIS MESSAGEHave you ever had a question so hard you wouldn’t even say it out loud? Or a doubt so big you didn’t feel like you could share it—especially at church? Maybe it’s time to ask the tough questions together in our new series, Ever Wonder Why?WE’RE OPENWe’re continuing to monitor guidelines and best practices for gathering in a safe way. Learn more about everything we're doing to keep you safe and how you can help by using hand sanitizer, washing your hands often, and more: https://www.life.church/updatesFind a time and attend a service with us: http://www.life.church/locationsNEXT STEPSHave you made a decision to follow Jesus? You may be wondering what’s next on your journey. We want to help! Let us guide you to your next steps in your walk with Christ: https://www.life.church/nextABOUT LIFE.CHURCHWherever you are in life, you have a purpose. Life.Church wants to help you find your next step. Our hope is that your journey will include joining us at a Life.Church location throughout the United States or globally online at https://www.live.life.church. Find locations, videos, and more info about us at https://www.life.church or download the Life.Church app at https://www.life.church/app. FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIAFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/life.churchInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/life.churchTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/lifechurchTikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@lifechurchCONNECT WITH PASTOR CRAIGYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIId...Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/craiggroeschelInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/craiggroeschelTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/craiggroeschelTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@craiggroeschel#lifechurch #craiggroeschel #howtotrustgod Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Do you ever feel like life is nothing but one long, ongoing battle? But ever feel like that? Like, just when you get over something, there's something else. In fact, my pastor used to always say that you're either in the middle of a battle or you're coming out of a battle or you're about to go into a battle. And I hate it when he said that, but it can be so true. It seems like there's always some kind of fight. Like you're fighting to pay the bills or you're fighting off this.

ongoing addiction that you can't seem to overcome, or you're fighting to keep your kids on track, or you're fighting to hold your marriage together, or you're fighting to stay sane with all the crazy in the world today. Sometimes you just get worn down. You're fighting doubt. Sometimes you're fighting discouragement. Sometimes you're fighting depression. If you're in a battle right now, I want to share with you scripture from Psalm chapter 20 when King David was actually preparing for a fight. and I believe that his words might become your words and my prayers it would build your faith in the fight. David said in Psalm 20 verse 7 right before the battle,

he said some, everybody say some. He said some trust in chariots and some in horses. But we trust in the name of the Lord our God. I love this verse because I'm often the sum. the sum. Some trust in chariots. Some trust in horses. I'm often one of the sum

because I often find myself trusting in what I can see because that makes so much more sense to me. In other words, if I'm going into a battle, it's easier to trust a war horse you can see than a God you can't see. You guys are being quiet today. Is that too real?

I mean, sometimes it's easier putting into our context to trust in our knowledge, some trust in knowledge, some trust in experience, some trust in the money in the bank, some trust in the illusion that we actually have some control. I'm often part of the sum. I often trust in what I can see, more than I might trust in to God that I can't see.

And what encouraged me to be so much about David isn't just his faith, where he says, boldly, we trust in the Lord, our God. What encourages me about David isn't just his faith, but honestly, it's his faith after doubt. Because the same guy who said, some trust in horses and some trust in shares, but we trust in the Lord,

he was also the guy who asked these questions in Psalm 13. How long, Lord, will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with these thoughts day after day and have sorrow in my heart, how long will my enemy triumph over me? At one point, David seems to say, like, I'm not sure I can trust God. And then later, he says, with all my heart, I know I do. So today, we're going to talk about how we grow from the, I'm not sure I can really trust God, to the point of saying, with all my heart, I know I do. And the day, we're going to talk about how we grow from the, I'm not sure I can really trust God, to the point of saying,

and the title for today's message is, why should I trust God? And to help me answer this important question, I've invited some of the best spiritual leaders that I know in the entire world to help me share God's word with you. And I love giving you the chance to hear from your own campus pastor. So today I'm going to team teach with your pastor. Would you help show some love and help me welcome your campus pastor to share God's Word.

Well, hey, I just got to take a moment, just start right off the bat, and just thank Pastor Craig and Amy for your leadership in our lives, and thank you for the opportunity to team teach with you. You know, it's not an easy thing to get up here and teach with Pastor Craig on the same stage here, but today we're going to dive into God's Word. I believe God's got a word to speak to you, and I just want to welcome those of you joining us at Life Church Online. My name is Sam Marin.

I get to be the pastor here at Life Church in Eiff, Edmond, Oklahoma, and then also get to the privilege of being one of the pastors at Life Church online, whether you're joining us from Texas, from Tahiti, or from Turks and Caicos. Life Church is a place where everyone is welcome, and we love it that you're here today. In fact, put it in the chat right now. Put it in the comments. Where are you joining us from today? We love it that you're here.

Can we show some love to our Life Church family all over the world? Come on. Hey, so let me introduce you to the most important people in my life, my family. I kind of want to show you, like, how it started and how it's going, right? So this is how it started. 1998, senior prom. Like, check out those sideburns, man. Like, I needed more reasons to draw attention to my ears, right?

Like, but look at that, man. And this is back in 1998. It was my senior prom in high school, and this was our very first date. And, man, I can never forget that day. We were right there dancing. And then Casey and Joe. Jojo came on. Yeah. Some of y'all know what I'm talking about. Casey and Joe, a little All My Life, you know, you know what I'm talking about? Like, all my life, I'll pray for someone like you. And I thank God that I'll finally leave. Now, I better stop singing. Listen, somebody are like, Pastor Sam, keep state of preaching, all right? I'll leave the singing to the worship pastors. But look, Casey and Jojo comes on while you're dancing. There's only one thing. do. You got to lean in for the kiss, right? And that's exactly what I did. I leaned in for the kiss.

Liz kissed me back. And next year, we celebrate 20 years of marriage, man. So that's how it started. Let me show you how it's going. This is how it's going right now. This is my family. My son, Rex, who is just an incredible philosopher. He is a deep, deep thinker. And my princess warrior, Audrey, who has so much love for every person she knows. We are a blessed, blessed family, and I'm a blessed man for sure. And our family is blessed to be a part of Life Church here and the Life Church family. And, you know, again, I just, I can't help but thank Pastor Craig and Amy for how they invest in us as a couple, as parents, and as leaders. We're so, so thankful. So this is how it's going right now, right? Now, this is important because we're in a message

series called Ever Wonder Why. And today, we're going to try to answer. the question, how do you grow to trust in a God you can't see? How do you grow to trust in a God that you can't see? This is challenging for us. So let me give you kind of my own faith journey in this area. So this past summer, I labeled it the summer of anxiety because I don't remember exactly when it started, but at some point I started to feel this pain in my chest, this tightness, There were moments where I felt like I needed to take a deep breath and just kind of let it out. And it would come and go, and there wasn't nothing mentally happening. I wasn't having anxious thoughts.

It just my body was acting kind of strange. And I don't know why it happened. I'm not sure why it still happens from now from time to time, but I just had this anxiety. And I don't know where it came from, right? I'm in the summary and I'm just like, what is happening to my body? I'm not sure why, but I'm choosing to trust God even in this area of my life, even in my anxious times. I went to the doctor and she had me do all kinds of blood tests and had me do a heart scan and just to check all the plumbing's working and everything came back normal. There was nothing wrong.

So I'm still not sure why this is happening, but I choose to trust God even in my anxious times. So how do you grow? How do you grow from going to where I'm not sure I can trust God to I know I can trust Him? The answer is simple. It's simple, but not easy. You question, you pray, and you surrender. You question, you pray, and you surrender. So the first thing is you question, and what I mean by this is you question God.

Now, some of y'all just gave me a look like, wait a minute, it's okay to question God? Some of you are thinking, is this pastor like theologically sound? Does he know what he's? Can you actually, my mama told me never questioned God. Can you question God? Absolutely. Without a shadow of a doubt, you can question God.

He can handle your questions. In fact, we saw David do this. The same man who was a man after God's own heart questioned God. So if David can, so can you. someone said that we are closer to God when we are asking questions than when we think we hold all the answers. We're closer to him. We're asking questions.

This is exactly what a hurting dad did in Mark chapter 9. If you don't know the story, the dad had a son who was battling with an evil spirit. This spirit was causing the son to convulse and to foam at the mouth. And then the dad tells Jesus that the evil spirit did this. it has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. Now watch the question. Here's where he asks the question. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.

So what do you do? If you're wondering why? Ask God, why? If you don't know what to do, ask God for wisdom. If you're hurting, cast your cares upon him. Why? Because he cares for you. you, God would rather that you run to him with your questions than run from him with your doubts.

He wants to be close to you. He can handle your questions. So you question God. And then you pray. Look at our text. The hurting dad wonders if Jesus can do anything, right? Can you? That's the question. And watch what the text says. If you can, said Jesus. Like, I picture Jesus saying like, Really, bro? Like, come on, man. Like, I've been walking the search for a minute. I've been doing something. You really?

Like, he's like, can, if you can, Jesus says, everything is possible for one who believes. Immediately the boy's father exclaimed. Watch the prayer. Here's the prayer. He says, I do believe. Help me overcome my unbelieve. The dad is struggling.

So he asks a question. Then he pray. help me, help me. I want to believe. I sort of do, not all the way, kind of, but help me trust you. Help me overcome my unbelief. The dad questioned, then he prayed, and then God delivered his son and built his faith. How did Jesus respond? Did Jesus look at him and say, hey, come back to me when you're more prepared. He didn't say to him, hey, come back to me. When you have at least a muster seat, like just a muster seat of faith, then you can come back

to me. No, Jesus acknowledged the dad's question. He heard the dad's prayer, and then he cast out the demon and built the dad's faith. How good is Jesus? How good is Jesus that he hears our prayers? What do you do when you find it difficult to trust God that you can't see? when you face a problem that you don't understand. You question, you pray, and then you surrender.

You surrender to him. Now, you might be thinking surrender sounds like giving up, like I give up. No, that's not what surrender actually means. Like, let's look at what surrender actually means, okay? It means that you choose to trust God even when you don't understand. You choose to trust him. Proverbs 3.5 says it this way. trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways

submit to him and he will make your path straight. The middle part grabs my attention. Scripture tells us not to lean on your own understanding. What's the problem with your understanding? The problem with your understanding is your understanding is limited. Like you only have a limited amount of understanding. You don't believe me? Let me put it to you this way.

Have you ever done something that you sure was a good idea and it turned out to be stupid? You know what I'm talking about, right? All the husbands in here, you're like, yep, I remember. Let me show you a couple of ideas that people thought were really good ideas. So the first one, catwigs. These are real things. I want you to know, somebody thought catwigs was a good idea, okay? Here's the next one.

For dog fans, the fluff and puff. Like you have a hard time drying your dog. This is what you put. It's a good idea. Okay, here's another good one. The potty putt putt. Like guys need another reason to stay in the restroom longer, right? And this one is probably my favorite one.

This is the better marriage blanket. I'm going to let you just look at this. It's a fart blanket. It's a blanket to mask your fart. Like, I mean, actually, like, it's a good idea if it worked, right? But these were not good ideas, right? Like, look, that's the problem with our understanding. It's limited, right?

It's limited. And the scripture tells us, don't lean on what's limited. Instead, you choose to trust, even though you don't understand the details. Now, the Hebrew word for trust, this is really important, okay? The Hebrew word is batak. Everybody say it. Say batak. Batak, not buttocks.

Batak. Okay. Here's what this word actually means. It means to stretch out, to lie face down before God. Batak represents a servant waiting for the master's will or command. When you trust, you surrender to the will of the master. This is you waiting. You're waiting on God to show you instructions,

to speak to you so that you can take your next step on the path that he's making straight before you. You're waiting on the master's command. You're completely surrendered to him. So how does that look practically? What does it mean to trust God with all our hearts? First, let's remember what it's not. Trusting God doesn't mean that you always get what you want.

You pray, right? God, give me this. God bless me in this way. God, do this for me. Trusting God doesn't mean you're going to get exactly what you want. I mean, if my kids come to me and ask me for something that is not going to help them, I know better, right? I know a lot more, and so I'm going to say no. Same way, God knows what you need more than he cares to give you what you want.

You're not always going to get what you want. It doesn't mean that nothing bad ever happens to you. Trusting God means that no matter what happens, you believe that God loves you and he's working all things for your good. It's his character. It's his nature. It's his goodness. He loves you. He's working all things together for your good.

Romans 828 says it that way. 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. purpose. So how do you grow to trust in the God you can't see? You question, you pray, and you surrender. Everybody say that with me. Those of you in the online, put it in the chat. Come on, say it with me, say you question, you pray, you surrender. One more time, you question, you pray, you surrender. This is what David did. He questioned, God, where are you? He prayed. one thing I ask is that I would dwell in the house of the Lord forever and then he surrendered he chose to trust God even though he didn't understand

some trusting horses and chariots but we will trust the Lord this is what the dad did he questioned Jesus can you do anything and then he prayed help me in my unbelief I want to believe and then he surrendered he trusted and God healed his son and built his faith. This is what Jesus did when he was on that cross. He questioned when God the Father turned his face from him. He said, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? He prayed. Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit. He surrendered. He gave his life. But then three days later. The stone was rolled away. He was not there. He defeated death, hell, and the grave, wiping all our sins away. You question, you pray, and you surrender. You choose to trust God

no matter what. So this is where I'm at right now. I want to go back to the summer of anxiety. I want to give you actually a little more context of what was happening as I've taken time to look back. So Pastor Craig, in previous messages, has shared that this year, we actually lost two pastors from our life church family. One of those was Pastor Danny Durant. He was the pastor of our Overland Park, Kansas location. And Danny was an incredible leader, an incredible pastor.

And he was also my friend. He was my brother. My brother. And, man, I've got a lot of great memories with Pastor Danny. A lot of fun times. We would get into some stuff. In fact, I got a great memory. I want to share with you real quick.

Check this out. This is us. Right here. So we were homies, right? Now, I want to just explain to you real quick. Some of y'all are freaking out. You're like, what is that smoke going up right there? Let me just explain to you.

Okay, so we, a bunch of us pastors, got dressed up for a talent show. It was a lip sync battle. We won the lip sync battle. But everything you see on the picture, it's all props. Even the smoke. That's just oregano being burnt. It smells like weed. If you didn't know, now you know.

All right. But, oh, man, I just, I love my friend. And we were on vacation when I got the news that he had passed away. And looking back, it was shortly after that that I started to feel the chest in my pain. the tightness, the shortness of breath. Sometime passed, and Danny's wife, Emily, who I asked for permission to share this, she shared with the public that Danny had suffered a heart attack,

and that was the cause of his death. And I started to draw parallels. Exact same age. He's only 18 days older than me. Kids around the same age. both Hispanic male, which puts us at risk, high risk for heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure. We both had COVID, and this reminded me of my greatest fear. What would happen to my wife and kids if I wasn't here, if I wasn't here to lead, to love them, to serve them?

and I've heard it said, what you fear the most is usually where you trust God the least. So I'm literally watching my friend's family go through my biggest fear, and my body is filled with anxiety and worry and fear. So I'm doing what I can do. I eat well, I exercise, I see my doctor, I see my counselor. but at the end of the day, I surrender my fear to God, and I choose to trust him. I choose to believe that he cares more about my kids and my wife than I ever could. I choose to believe that he is the provider, that he is the protector,

that he is the peace that surpasses understanding. I choose to trust God. So I questioned, God, why? Why am I feeling this anxiety? I'm not an anxious person. I've never struggled with anxiety. Why now? I prayed. God, take this away. I don't need anxiety in my life. It still comes and goes. But I surrender. I choose to trust him even when I don't understand. Even though I don't understand the plan, I trust God has a purpose. I trust this purpose in my life. You question, you pray, you surrender, you question, you pray, you surrender, you choose to trust no matter what. You trust in God with all your heart, and you don't lean on your own understanding, but in all your ways you acknowledge. him and he directs your path. He makes your path straight. It's the path. It's this path. We're all

walking on this path. But I want to recognize right now that for many of you, you just can't see the path. You see, trust isn't passive. It's active. Trust isn't just something you decide in your heart and it stays there. Trust is active. You have to actively trust God. It's batak. It's waiting on the master to give you instructions so you can take that next step, waiting on his commands. Let me show this to you in a very practical way. Let's go back to the question that we started with. How do you grow in trusting a God that you can't see? Let's get real for a moment. So many of us are feeling moments of complete darkness. For a lot of people, this pandemic has brought on deep, dark thoughts about your future.

It's brought on thoughts of isolation. It's brought on loneliness and hopelessness. You may be hurting, struggling, or questioning God right now. Maybe you're wondering, how do you trust God when you want to get married, but there's no godly prospects. Maybe you're trying to save your marriage, but you feel like you're the only one fighting. How do you trust God?

When you've got way more bills than you have income, you've prayed and prayed and prayed and nothing is different, nothing changes. Maybe you're just fearful of the world that your kids are growing up in. Or maybe you're gripped with fear that you might get sick and possibly even. die. Life feels dark. The world feels obscure. Your future looks bleak. See, while it's hard to trust God when you can't see him, it's easier to trust God when you know him. And how do you know God?

The best way to know him is through his word. The psalmist writes in scripture, your word is a a lamp until my feet and a light for my path. When you feel the darkness around you, you lean on the truth of God's word to show you your next step of faith. When you feel like anxiety is making it feel like you can't breathe. Scripture says this, the spirit of God has made me and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. You can stand on the truth of God's word. When you feel like you're drowning in waves of depression, it's important to remember scripture that says this.

When you pass through the rivers, through the waters, you will not, I will be with you and you will not be swept over by them. When you feel weak and you feel like you're ready to throw in the towel, Isaiah tells us, but they that weighed upon the Lord will renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles. they shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not faint. When you feel like your future is bleak and hopeless, Jeremiah tells us this, He says, for I know the plants I have for you, declares the Lord, plants to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. When you feel like the sadness and the sorrow seems to never end,

scripture reminds you, weeping may last through the night, But joy comes in the morning. Listen, I don't know. I don't know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future. My God holds the future. And no matter, someone needs to hear this right now, no matter how dark your past looks, you can step boldly into the bright future that God has for you.

How do you surrender? How do you choose to trust God? one step at a time, one truth at a time, one word from God at a time. So as Christ's followers, we build our trust in God by questioning, by praying, and surrendering to the truth of God's word. So why should you trust in the God that you can't see? Because he's the only one that's faithful. He's the only one that's constant.

He's the only one that's steady and he's working all things for your good. Because some, some trust in chariots, some trust in horses, but we, we will trust in the Lord, our God. So at every location right now, would you just bow your heads in prayer right now? There are those of you here today, those of you in the room, those of you joining us on There are areas in your life that you don't trust God in. And he's calling you today to trust him fully, to choose to trust him no matter what you're facing, even when you don't understand. Whatever that may be for you, maybe it's in your family, maybe it's your health, maybe it's your future,

maybe it's your kids, maybe it's your job. Whatever area that is, if you're here today and you say, I want to choose to trust God anyway. I don't understand, but I choose. to trust him if that's you. Would you just raise your hand? I want to pray for you today. Hands going up all over this place. Those of you online, just type it in the chat. Say, I choose to trust God. God, we thank you so much. That you're a good father. You love us. You're working all things for our good. I pray for every person today. You know every situation. You know and care about the details of our lives. You know where we are having a challenge,

trust in you. So today we say, God, we choose to trust you. Light our path, Father God. Show us our next step. As we continue in an attitude of prayer, there are those of you right here in this room and those of you online that you're about to take a step out of darkness and into the light. Here's what I mean by that. The most important thing you can trust God with is your salvation. It's the status. of your soul. You see, if you and I were to sit down and just have a conversation and I ask you, hey, where do you stand with God? You might move around a little bit. You might squiggle. You might feel a little uncomfortable. You might say, you know what? I don't know. Or you might recognize, man,

I am not in a good place with God. In fact, I've done a lot of bad things. I've sinned a lot. Let me just tell you, you're not alone. We all sin. You sin, I sin. And our sin, separates us from a holy God. And sin grows best in the dark. But today, today the good news is that you no longer have to be in the dark. Today you can take one step into the light. And here's how you do that today. You declare with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord.

Who is Jesus? Jesus is the son of God who lived a sinless life and died on a cross for the forgiveness of our sins. but he did not stay dead. He rose again so that you and I could find forgiveness of our sins and find a new life. And we could live and walk in the light. And for many of you, that's why you're here. It's time to step out of the darkness and into the light to receive forgiveness of all your sins, to be made new.

And so if that's you in a moment, I'm going to count to three. And when I get to three, if you say, I need Jesus, I'm ready to step out of the darkness. I'm ready to step into the light. When you do so, he promises to forgive you, to wipe away your sins and to make you brand new. So I'm going to count to three. And when I get to three, if that's you, I want you to shoot your hand up in the air online. I want you to just type in the chat. That's me.

I want to give my life to Christ. One, God loves you. He's here for you, ready to forgive you and make you new. Two, don't wait for tomorrow. Tomorrow's not promised to anyone. Today is your day of salvation. Three, come on, shoot your hand up in the air right now and meet me out of eye. I got you right back there.

God bless you. Welcome to the family of God. God loves you. Others of you say yes. Those of you online, just put it in the chat. I'm giving my life to Christ today. Would you pray with those around you? Everybody pray out loud.

Just repeat this prayer. Say, Heavenly Father, I give you my life. I surrender to you. Forgive me of my sins and make me new. Fill me with your spirit so I can follow you and serve you. every day of my life. Today I choose to step into the light. Thank you for forgiveness and thank you for your grace.

In Jesus' name I pray. Come on, church, would you celebrate and welcome people into the family of God today?