“Why don’t we just trust in God?” I’ve heard Christians ask that question lately. Why are people wearing masks? Why are we talking about taking precautions at church? “Why don’t we trust in God?”
On the one hand, I love that sentiment. The Bible says that God’s people don’t trust in horses or princes. We know that our lives don’t depend on protective gear or social distancing. Our lives depend on Jesus Christ! At a time of doubt and uncertainty, may the Holy Spirit give us a bold trust in Jesus our Savior!
But let me ask you something: Are you trusting God or testing God? There’s a difference. You know who else said, “Why don’t you just trust in God”? The devil himself! Remember when Satan tempted Jesus in the desert? For one of his temptations, he took Jesus to the highest point of the temple and told him to jump off. He even quoted the Bible, “For it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone’” (Matthew 4:6).
That sounds like a good argument, doesn’t it? “God’s with you. God’s angels surround you. What are you afraid of, Jesus? Don’t you trust in God? Jump! God will save you!” Should Jesus have jumped? Remember what he said? “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test’” (Matthew 4:7). For Jesus to jump off that temple wasn’t trusting God, it was testing God. It would have been sinful.
Trusting God doesn’t mean throwing caution to the wind. Trusting God doesn’t mean ignoring the wise advice of other people. Trusting God doesn’t mean insisting on doing what we want to do regardless of what the results might be for us and others. Trusting God doesn’t mean being foolish—like jumping off a building!—and expecting God to save us. That’s not trusting God. That’s trusting us and testing God.
Let me ask you this: Do you wear a seatbelt? Do you wash your hands? I bet the answer is a big, “Yes!” Why? Don’t you trust God? Of course you do, but you know that one of the ways God protects his people is with seatbelts. You know that God has answered a lot of prayers for health through hand washing. Yes, God’s angels are around us all the time. Miraculous rescues still happen today. But God often chooses to keep us alive through little, everyday blessings. We trust in God. We don’t test him.
We’re excited to be reopening our church. As we do, we’re going to notice that different people have different opinions about which precautions are needed and which aren’t. We understand. Christians can show their trust in Jesus in different ways. So let’s be careful not to judge our fellow Christians and their reactions to this pandemic. Wearing a mask isn’t a sign of weak faith. Taking precautions at church or school isn’t a sign of a lack of trust in God. Staying at home doesn’t mean someone’s living in fear. Christians can trust in God without testing him. May God bless as we begin to gather again!
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