Do you trust God…I mean do you really trust Him?

Do you get irritated when things don’t happen when you think they should happen? My wife has a magnet on our fridge that says, “Lord give me patience, NOW!”

I don’t know if there is a clearer example of not only being impatient, but also, the exact wrong reaction to impatience than is shown in Exodus 32.

In Exodus 32 Moses is on the mountain in fellowship with God. As it turns out, Moses was going to be bringing down the Tablets that were written by the Hand of God. But, apparently Moses was up on the mountain for longer than the Israelites thought he should be:

Exodus 32:1 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”

So, let me get this straight….God has already shown all of these amazing signs and wonders to free them, to feed them, and to assure them that He shall be their God, and they shall be His people and the moment the timing of things isn’t what they expect, they are prepared to worship a false god…and not only that, Aaron (who has already experienced some amazing things by the Hand of God) is willing to go along.

They don’t know what happened to Moses, but they know that, as far as their concerned, he’s been away too long…so….

Exodus 32:2-8 And Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!” 5 So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD.” 6 Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 7 And the LORD said to Moses, “Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’ “

Not only do they worship this golden calf, but they even say, “this god, this golden calf, is what brought them out of Egypt.”

Is that the most bizarre thing you have ever heard?

Hold that thought. Before we are too quick to condemn the Israelites, let’s consider this one more time and see if it doesn’t sound familiar:

God didn’t respond in a way they wanted and/or expected, so they turned aside to an idol of their own choosing. Has God ever “delayed” in something you wanted Him to help with and you turned instead to manipulating a situation, or turning to the wisdom of man instead of waiting and trusting in Him?  As for me….GUILTY!

Throughout Scripture we see God testing His people. Testing their faith. Who will they turn to in this time of testing?….their riches?…their own wisdom?…or will they wait on God?…will they trust God?

Our finances are a great example of this. As a society we have bought in to the idea that we are to store up for ourselves so one day we can retire and play golf. I don’t know how else to say this, so I’ll just say it…that is unbiblical. God has told us about the sparrows being cared for, yet we are worth much more; so why don’t we trust that He will provide for us?  I think I know why, because we want the security that the world offers, we want abundance(not just enough)…and it all comes down to the fact that we don’t fully trust God’s promises:

Luke 12:16-34 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ‘ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ 21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” 22 Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. 23 Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? 25 And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 26 If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? 29 “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. 30 For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. 32 “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Believe me, I am preaching to myself on this; not only that (being married) affords its own battle with trying to convince your spouse that we need to quit “storing up” for ourselves and trust God.  There will, no doubt, be people reading this thinking, “Cullman, you post a few decent things but on this one, you have lost your mind.” Let me be so bold as to say, that is the influence of the world talking…take a look and see if it matches up with Scripture:

2Corinthians 8:1 Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: 2 that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. 3 For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, 4 imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. 5 And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God. 6 So we urged Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace in you as well. 7 But as you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see that you abound in this grace also. 8 I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. 10 And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago; 11 but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have. 12 For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have. 13 For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; 14 but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack—that there may be equality. 15 As it is written, “HE WHO GATHERED MUCH HAD NOTHING LEFT OVER, AND HE WHO GATHERED LITTLE HAD NO LACK.”

Is God going to tell us to sell ALL we have…maybe?….maybe not? The better question is, if He does, are you willing? If He asks you to rid your life of other things that are getting in the way of serving Him, are you willing to give it up? What if He said, golf has to go?…TV has to go?….motorcycles have to go?…(fill in the blank)?  Are you willing?  Take a look at a man who wasn’t willing?  Take a look at a man that trusted and loved his wealth and wasn’t willing to give it up to follow Jesus.

Matthew 19:16-26  Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” 17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, ” ‘YOU SHALL NOT MURDER,’ ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,’ ‘YOU SHALL NOT STEAL,’ ‘YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS,’ 19 ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER,’ and, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ ” 20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”