‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus
EDITOR'S LETTER
Image source: Ricardo Cruz, Unsplash
2 Chronicles 20 records the prayer of King Jehoshaphat after he heard that a great multitude was coming against him from the nations of Moab, Ammon and Edom. Following this prayer, we see a wonderful victory that the Lord won for Judah.
God heard King Jehoshaphat’s prayer and answered it by sending a message to Jahaziel the prophet (verses 15-17). The people were told not to be afraid because God would go with them and they would not need to fight. The people responded by believing God and worshipping Him.
The following day, when Jehoshaphat called the people together for battle, he said to them, “Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper” (verse 20).
The next move of the people was not to get their weapons in preparation to fight the Moabites, Ammonites and the Edomites. Instead they began to sing and praise God. The Lord worked mightily and caused confusion among those three armies. The Moabites and Ammonites didn’t start fighting against Judah, but fought against the Edomites (whom they were supposedly in alliance with) and destroyed them. Once the Edomites were destroyed, they didn’t make a united attack on Judah, but started fighting each other, to the point that when the people of Judah arrived at the battleground, all they saw were dead bodies and a huge amount of spoil such as jewellery and other precious things – so much that it took three days to gather it all. Truly this was a miracle of God.
The key lesson I want you to learn from this is faith in God and His word. This faith must affect every area of your life so that you have full confidence in God in all things. This faith must also lead you to give praise to Him for His goodness to you.
Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” That is what King Jehoshaphat and his people did. It sounded foolish to go out to battle without weapons, but they trusted in God who said they would not need to fight in the battle.
Hebrews 11:6 also speaks about the importance of faith: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Make sure you believe in God and His word as you live before Him.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.”
Soap, God & Generosity
The name Colgate is a household name in countries all over the world, you may have some Colgate toothpaste in your house. However, that is not part of the original Colgate story.
William Colgate was born in England in 1783. His father had strong Christian and political views. As a result, he faced persecution from the British authorities and left for the United States with his family when William was fifteen years old.
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William Colgate headed to New York City when he was 21 and worked as an apprentice to a soap-boiler. He closely watched his employer and worked out better, more efficient ways to do things. Soon, he began his own business, and set about transforming the American soap industry. The first thing he did was produce perfumed soaps. This was a big improvement on the soaps of the day which did not have a pleasant smell. But he went further than that. He also produced individual bars (making soap easier to use) and offered home delivery for convenience.
As his business prospered, he remembered what a river boat captain told him when he arrived in New York, “Someone will soon be the leading soap maker in New York. You can be that person. But you must never lose sight of the fact that the soap you make has been given to you by God. Honour Him by sharing what you earn. Begin by tithing (giving 10% of) all you receive.” William Colgate followed his wise advice, and soon was doing much more because he ended up giving 50% of all he earned to God to his church and other biblical causes.
William Colgate and his wife Mary had eleven children who were well trained in the biblical aspects of life that were so important to their father. Indeed, it was quite a procession as this family of thirteen walked into church each Sunday and sat down together to worship God.
But what about toothpaste? William Colgate never made toothpaste. ‘What?’ you may be thinking. That is the most famous Colgate product. True, but the first Colgate toothpaste was not produced until 1873, sixteen years after William’s death. William’s son Samuel continued the family business following his father’s death. In 1873, he added toothpaste to the range of products. But this was not toothpaste as you know it – it was toothpaste sold in jars. It was not until 1896 that Colgate toothpaste was sold in tubes as it is today.
There are many things you can learn from William Colgate. Learn the benefits of paying close attention to things and using your God-given brain. Learn from William Colgate’s generosity. William Colgate was never a lover of money. He showed great generosity when it came to giving towards the cause of God – giving away half of all he earned. Most of all, learn to love and serve God with all your heart and do all for His glory. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
A Common Sin
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One of the great sins committed by Christians is that of worrying about the future. This is a common concern of those who are not Christians too. The very reason that horoscopes and fortune tellers attract such a following from people is because people want to know that the future holds for them.
You may not have thought that worrying about the future is a sin, but let me explain why it is. Jesus said in Matthew 6:25, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life.” He continued down to verse 34 explaining why you don’t need to worry. Since Jesus said, “Do not worry about your life,” you disobey Him when you worry – and disobedience to what God says is sin.
Let me take it a bit further. David wrote in Psalm 139:16, “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they were all written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.” This simply teaches that God determined what would happen on every day of your life even before you were born. What a wonderful thought. Truly, your life is in God’s hands. Along with this, remember the truth of Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” In determining all the events of your life, God has done so in such a way that all things will work together for your good if you are one of His dear children. They may not work out in the way you want, but God knows what is best, and His promises never fail.
Now, I will reveal a second reason why it is sinful to worry about the future. Based on all that is written in the previous paragraph, worry is sinful because it is a failure to trust God to do what is best for you as He has promised.
In conclusion, Jesus said something positive that you should do instead of worrying about your life. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). “These things” which are spoken of are your needs. Therefore, worrying is futile because God has promised that He will supply your needs (see also Philippians 4:19). So, instead of worrying, seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness. He will provide for you!
“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you”
Hymn - ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus
1. ’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to take Him at His word;
Just to rest upon His promise,
Just to know, “Thus saith the Lord.”
Chorus:
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er!
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
O for grace to trust Him more!
2. O how sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to trust His cleansing blood;
Just in simple faith to plunge me’
Neath the healing, cleansing flood!
3. Yes, ‘tis sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just from sin and self to cease;
Just from Jesus simply taking
Life and rest, and joy and peace.
4. I’m so glad I learned to trust Thee,
Precious Jesus, Saviour, Friend;
And I know that Thou art with me,
Wilt be with me to the end.
By Louisa M. R. Stead (1850-1917)
The Story Behind the Hymn
Louisa Stead was born in England in 1850 and knew about God from her childhood. She was converted at the age of nine. When she was 21 years old she shifted to the United States. She was married to George Stead four years later and gave birth to a daughter who was named Lily.
One day while the family were happily enjoying a day on a beach in New York, something happened that altered the whole course of their lives. While eating their lunch, the family suddenly heard a cry for help from the water. They looked and saw a boy drowning in the sea. Without hesitation, George ran into the water and swam out to the drowning boy in an attempt to save his life. However, the story did not have the happy ending people would hope for. Instead of George and the boy arriving safely back on shore, both drowned at sea while Louisa and Lily watched from the beach.
“The church of God can be thankful that through what appeared to be a tragedy, God was working out His purposes...”
Life was very difficult for Louisa and Lily because not only was their husband and father dead, but they had no income to meet their daily needs. However, God did not forsake them. God was true to His promise to love His people and to be with them and provide for them until the end. A story is told that one morning when there was neither money nor food for the day, Louisa opened the front door and found that someone had left food and money on the doorstep.
The church of God can be thankful that through what appeared to be a tragedy, God was working out His purposes, which included the writing of a hymn that has been sung by Christians for over one hundred years. Louisa wrote the hymn ’Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus not long after her husband drowned. It shows the trust that Louisa Stead had in her God.
The opening verse speaks about the sweetness of trusting in Jesus and calls on people to trust His promise and know that because He has spoken, He will do what He said. The second verse speaks of the blessed result of trusting in Jesus – receiving forgiveness of sins by His cleansing blood which was shed for His people when He died on the cross. Verse three takes matters further by speaking about the life of trust all Christians should experience. They must die to sin and selfish desires and simply trust in Jesus for the eternal life, joy and peace that He so freely gives to those who believe Him. The final verse of the hymn is the testimony of the hymn writer, expressing how glad she was that she learned to trust Jesus and the knowledge she had that He would be with her to the end. The chorus is very appropriate because she speaks of her continual trust in Jesus and how she had seen Him to be faithful over and over again. But she knew her weakness, and asked that Jesus, who was so precious to her, would help her to trust Him even more.
As you think about this hymn, its message and the story behind it, may you be led to trust in Jesus in everything, and find Him to be a precious Saviour and Friend as Louisa Stead did.
Seek the Lord
The importance of seeking the Lord is stressed frequently in the Bible. Seeking the Lord is of crucial importance because it shows a different spirit to the spirit of this world that seeks after worldly things and rejects the things of God. I will take you to a few passages of Scripture to show you the call to seek the Lord, and the blessings God promised to those who seek Him.
Image source: Emmanuel Phaeton, Unsplash
King David had important words for Israel before he handed over the kingdom to his son Solomon. He said, “Be careful to seek out the commandments of the LORD your God, that you may possess this good land, and leave it as an inheritance for your children after you forever” (1 Chronicles 28:8). Telling them to seek out the commandments of the Lord was not telling them to focus on obedience to the law of God as the means of receiving God’s blessing. It was really another way of telling them to seek the Lord. There is a link between seeking the Lord and this wording of seeking out the commandments of the Lord. A person who genuinely seeks the Lord will be careful to know and obey the commandments of God. Those commandments reveal God’s holy character and His will for mankind. If you truly seek and love the Lord, you will want to please Him. This will be proven by obeying His commandments. As Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
“Know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and a willing mind”
Solomon was also given special instruction from his father David, “Know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts and understands the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever” (1 Chronicles 28:9).
Solomon sought the Lord during the early part of his reign. He asked God for wisdom and was careful to do the will of God in building the temple and giving true worship to God. God blessed Solomon mightily so that he was the greatest king in his day, and people from other countries went to hear his wisdom and see the splendour of the wealth he had been given by God.
However, Solomon married many foreign women and did not remain loyal to the Lord his God. This led him to disobey the commandments of God and introduce idolatry into Israel. As a result, God said, “Because you have done this and not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant” (1 Kings 11:11). What was the cause of this? Solomon stopped seeking the Lord and began to seek the gods of the women he had married. God brought judgement upon him, and the kingdom of Israel was divided into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah after he died.
Sadly, the people in the northern kingdom of Israel did not seek the Lord. All the kings were wicked and did evil in the sight of the Lord. 2 Kings 17:15 reveals the extent of their wickedness, “And they rejected His statutes and His covenant that He had made with their fathers, and His testimonies which He had testified against them; they followed idols, became idolaters, and went after the nations who were all around them.” In other words, they refused to seek the Lord and sought the false gods of other nations. As a consequence, God sent the Assyrians to bring an end to the nation of Israel and take the people captive.
“You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart”
The southern kingdom of Judah was not much better, although they did have a few kings who faithfully sought the Lord. He spoke through His prophets who said God would “bring calamity on this place and on its inhabitants … because they have forsaken Me, and burned incense to other gods” (2 Kings 22:16, 17). One of the good kings was King Josiah. He sought the Lord with all his heart. See how it is described in 2 Kings 22:18, 19 where we read that he sent to inquire of the Lord, his heart was tender and he humbled himself before the Lord. God saw that Josiah sought after Him and blessed his reign. He did not bring the threatened destruction upon Judah until after Josiah’s death.
God has great promises for those who seek Him: “You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). How about this one from Isaiah 55:6, 7? “Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake His way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” God will have mercy and forgive those who seek Him. It is a good thing to seek the Lord. You will find Him as you seek Him in His word and by prayer. You will experience His blessing in your life if you wholeheartedly seek Him, and receive the gift of eternal life and a home in heaven for eternity.
We hope you enjoyed the excerpts from this month’s volume of The Christian Informer.
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