Women of Faith - Trusting God: A Life Without Worry

TRUSTING GOD

TRUSTING GOD

A LIFE WITHOUT WORRY

Margaret Feinberg

Foreword by Sheila Walsh

2012 Thomas Nelson

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION. 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4185-4929-9

Printed in China

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Contents

T rust is an interesting word. Its one of those small words, like love, that weighs a lot and really packs a punch. I remember seeing the movie The Jungle Book when I was a little girl and being horrified by Kaa, the snake who could hypnotize anyone who stared into his eyes long enough. His compelling line to Mowgli, the boy hero in this Rudyard Kipling tale, was Trust me! According to my mother, I yelled out for all to hear, Dont do it Mowgli! Trust is costly if the one you place it in is not trustworthy.

I think most of us would agree that as we grow and learn, we understand that trust has to be earned. I remember once being on a blind date that had been set up by friends of mine. The guy seemed nice enough at first, but when he asked me if I was open to having children, before we were even through with our main course, I decided that he had no concept of the appropriateness of building trust!

When we talk about the commitment to trust God, most of us would say that we do trust him, probably admitting that wed love to trust him more. Of all the issues we talk about as Women of Faith, trust seems to be the most foundational. Over the last few years this issue of trusting God had been very much on my heart and in my prayers. I want to trust Him 100 percent with everything I have and everything I am, but at times I have struggled to do that. Whenever I struggle with any area of my faith, I turn to Gods Word. The psalmist David said it so beautifully,

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105 (ESV)

As I began to study Gods Word more in depth and to look at the lives of many of those that Margaret will introduce us to here, one thing became clear. Its not that the men and women we will meet in this study overcame fear on their own and became superheroes of the faith; its that they gained a greater understanding of who our awesome God is.

I believe that is the key to trusting God and living a life without fear. When we understand that our God is on the throne and nothing can happen to us today or tomorrow that hasnt passed through his merciful, loving hands, then we begin the awesome adventure of trusting him with abandon. Its so clear to me now that its not about us; its all about God.

Take a man like Job. In Job 1:1 we read that he was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. He was a good man who served God with a full, obedient heart, yet God allowed the enemy to decimate his life. What I find most compelling about Jobs story is this. Beyond the heartache and the loss, the pain and suffering, we have this profound statement from Job at the end of his story:

My ears had heard of you before, but now my eyes have seen you.
Job 42:5

I find that amazing! He was regarded as the godliest man on the earth at that time, yet it took God pulling back the curtain just a little and showing himself to Job to change everything. In Jobs experience he went from knowing about God in his head to seeing Him, and that changed everything.

That is my prayer for you. As Margaret leads us through this study, may you see our Father, may you behold his son Jesus, and because of who he is, may you never be the same again.

SHEILA WALSH

Introduction
Gods Invitation to You

Worry is like a rocking chair; itll give you something to do, but it wont get you anywhere.

UNKNOWN

W orry and stress have a way a sneaking into our lives when were not looking. God invites us to wave goodbye to this unwelcome duo and learn to depend on him in everything. As worry and stress disappear in our rearview mirror, we discover new things about God, life, and others that we never imagined.

Throughout this study, we will look at men and women who faced challenging situations and impossible odds but discovered the power of relying on God every step of the way. Whether its Noah leading a herd of wild and whimsical creatures on a wooden boat, Abraham leaving everything familiar to venture into the great unknown, or Ruth embarking on an unforgettable love story, were reminded that the same God who led, guided, and protected them, leads, guides, and protects us too. Their journeys are powerful reminders that no matter what we are facing, we can trust God.

My prayer is that throughout this study, you will find yourself growing in the faith and trusting that God has everything under control even the smallest details of your life. I hope that in response you will bravely say yes to everything God is calling you to do.

Blessings,
Margaret Feinberg

God Is
in the Details

When it comes to relying on God, we find comfort in knowing that God is with us. But that kind of with isnt a distant and far off kind of presence; no, God is with us in the minutest details of our lives. Whatever were facing, God has a way of surprising us with his presence and reminding us that nothing escapes his notice.

One
Noahs Big Boat Adventure

Noah was a brave man to sail in a wooden boat with two termites.

UNKNOWN

N oah didnt have a single reason to worryhe had hundreds of furry and scaly reasons. God selected this unsuspecting man for an unusual task: he was asked to go into the boat-building business.

Noah didnt know the first thing about seafaring, so the request must have caught him by surprise. Build a boat. Fill it with animals. Prepare for rain. However, through his obedience, Noah would save himself, his family, and a boatload of animals from a worldwide flood.

Why did God select Noah? We dont know all the reasons, but Genesis tells us that God regretted He had made humankind (Gen. 6:6). In fact, God actually grieved and felt sadness in His heart. However, when God looked across the earth, He noticed one man who was different: Noah. This blameless and righteous man not only walked with God but found great favor with God. So God approached him with some good news and some bad news. God chose to deliver the bad news first. Everything on the earth was going to be destroyed. But the good news was that Noah and his family were to be saved. All they had to do was build a boat and climb aboard. Sounds crazy, right?