Trust - Scott

A strong theme of trust has stood out to me as I've been reading the books of Chronicles recently. Throughout David's reign, he wins his battles while he trusts God and obeys him. But when David takes a census of Israel, it is for the purpose of knowing how many men he has to fight for him, and so he completely misses the point that it is God who fights for him and wins his battles, not Israeli soldiers. Because of David's lack of trust, God punishes him, but whenever David puts his trust in the Lord, God backs him and he prospers. A similar pattern recurs with every other king accounted for in these books. Each king who trusts God prospers and wins his battles, but the kings who forget or spurn God's sovereignty unfailingly wither.
I do not believe that if I put my trust in God then he will make me impossibly rich like David or Solomon, but I do believe that he will prosper me in what I need. God rewarded their trust with the things that were fitting and necessary for their positions, and he promises the same for us. I don't particularly find myself needing excessive wealth or military prowess right now, but without trust in God it appears that I won't be able to be equipped with whatever it is I do need at present. My battles are not military like David's, but I do have battles to fight. Mostly, the battles are spiritual, and God equips us with his own Holy Spirit, which is unconquerable. Living at 1304 I need courage and wisdom and strength to love (the work we do is not always easy or enjoyable). As I learn to trust God, I find these things surfacing in me. It is mostly a hard process of growth, not an instant sparkly magical movie-moment; yet God's present empowerment is undeniable. It only takes neglect and untrust to fall away, and so I pray that I might remember what God has done for Israel and his unfailing provision in my own personal history.