Trusting God's Character
Read 2 Samuel 24:10-13
From this passage of Scripture, the lead up to these verses encounters King David’s military census, whereby he requested for his fighting men to be counted.
Some reasons for this could:
Have been that his actions were motivated either by pride in the size of the empire he had acquired.
OR
It was a reliance on the security he had in the size of the manpower that he could in an emergency rely on .
In this regard taking a census was sinful in Gods eyes, as he had relied on himself and not on God who had given him everything he owned including all the victories his army had achieved.
The result and consequence of this, was that God had given David Three choices of punishment for the sins he committed:
Three years of famine in the land, which would have not only affected David, but would have effected everybody living in Israel.
Three months of fleeing from his enemies while they pursued him.
Three days of plague in the land, which again would have not only affected David, but would have effected everybody living in Israel.
Church I want you to place yourself in David’s shoes this morning. If you were him, and you were given these three options as a form of punishment for a sin you committed against God, what would you choose?
Would you choose, option 1 and 3 which have not only ramifications for yourself but for everybody around you, would you let your sin affect all those around you ?
Or would you opt for option two whereby you would be hunted down and your very life pursued by your enemies? What would you choose ?
Let’s see what David chose:
Despite David’s great sin against God, listen to what he choose – READ verse 14-16
“I am in deep distress, Let me, fall into the hands of the Lord, for His mercy is great; but do not let me fall into the hands of man”(Verse 14).
Wow, do you see exactly what David chose. Why do you think he chose this ?
Firstly, he knew God so intimately as he walked with God throughout His life.
Secondly, he knew who God was, he knew His character and all His attributes as God had proven Himself to be true to David every single time throughout His life.
Church, nothing in this world can compare with God’s love for us and His power in our lives.
Some days we may not feel it, yet other days we might even think we have been left on our own in difficult situations.
Gods’ Word the Bible speaks of Gods many attributes and verse after verse reminds us of His commitment, love, grace, mercy and promises to us His people.
At times our view of who God is can often be distorted based on what we see happening around us or based on the difficulties we might have to endure this side of Heaven.
We may view God as:
Some far away presence up in the sky who is just waiting to zap us for doing something wrong.
And think God is angry or distant.
Others view Him as disinterested in their lives, His too busy
Others may feel they feel they can never ever measure up to what God expects of them.
Church what is your view of God ? Do you know who God is ? Do you know His true character ?
Just like David allowed his life to fall into Gods hand -“let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for His mercy is great” – In order for David to have made this decision, He had to know who God is, He could fully surrender His life into Gods hands knowing that God is full of mercy and abounding in Love and even in Gods anger he is more merciful, loving and caring than any human being.
This brings me to this morning’s message.
The Question I pose to each of you this morning is:
Are you able to completely surrender to God, knowing His loving character and His attributes, knowing Him so well that He will do what is best for you no matter what you face ?
Only if you know who God is, and what His character is like will you be able to surrender and Trust Him as David did.
I want to introduce you to 7 character traits of God this morning and hopefully through this, you could position yourself to come to Know Him more intimately and you can then trust God with your life as David did:
The famous prince of preachers Charles Spurgeon said the following about God:
“God is unchangeable, unshakeable, and unstoppable. Nothing is impossible for Him. He is a God of miracles; He is mighty and strong, faithful and true, and He fights for his people still today.
God is loving, good, and his kindness extends to all generations. God is righteous and holy. He is just, and he watches over his own with constant awareness and care. God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. He is eternal, everlasting, and His words stand firm forever. God is giving and gracious, he is compassionate and merciful. He is our Father to whom we can cry Abba Daddy. He is with us always, and his promises are powerful, giving peace and strength for our days”
1. God is Loving.
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” 1 John 3:1.
The very character and essence of God is love. Incredible, lavish, unconditional love.
He loves us more than we could ever imagine, his love is everlasting, and it’s never based on how good we are.
Don’t ever believe the lie that says you are somehow “unlovable” or have gone too far in the wrong direction for God to ever care about you.
It’s just not possible with our loving God. He reaches for us, chases after us, knows us by name, and He sent his only Son so that we might have a chance to live free.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes on him will not perish but have everlasting life,” John 3:16.
2. God is Faithful and Righteous.
“The LORD is righteous in all His ways and faithful in all he does,” Psalm 145:17.
The Bible reminds us over and over of God’s faithfulness to His people and His righteousness over all.
He is true and faithful to His word in a world that’s constantly shifting and changing. We can trust him to do what he says he will do.
(2 Timothy- 2:13 – If we are faithless , He remains Faithful)
Church as we sit here this morning, We can trust His character; we can choose to believe; we can hold on to His promises because our God will never fail.
“The Lord’s lovingkindness indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness,” Lamentations 3:22-23.
3. God is Powerful and Mighty.
“Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle,” Psalm 24:8.
Think about this,
The very God who created the world, raised the dead, provided manna in the desert, and split the seas wide open so that His people could walk through on dry ground — that same God is with us still today.
He is fighting for us, covering us with the peace and power of His Spirit, leading us, opening doors, and paving a way for us when there seems to be no possible way.
He is mighty and powerful and is at work in every detail of our lives. His word reminds us that nothing is impossible for Him.
Don’t doubt that God is limited by time, circumstances, or the weaknesses and brokenness of our own lives. He works right through it all, drawing us closer to himself and bringing light through our lives to a dark world.
“Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone,” 1 Chronicles 29:11-12.
4. God is Sovereign and Just.
“The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His Sovereignty rules over all,” Psalm 103:19.
Sometimes it's a battle to trust God’s ways are better.
We might think He missed it or forgot us or doesn't really care about the daily life that concerns us. Or we might start to think that we know better somehow — like God needs our help. We get in a hurry, and it's hard to wait for answers, or we feel like we're wasting time.
God’s truth reminds us of His constant guidance and help. He rules over all; He is in control, and nothing takes Him by surprise. He never asks us to figure it all out on our own.
He just asks us to trust Him — to recognize His leadership and sovereignty in our lives. And He promises to make our pathways smooth.
“O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you,” 2 Chronicles 20:6.
5. God is Compassionate and Gracious.
“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love,” Psalm 103:8.
God’s very character throughout His word is one of deep compassion and grace for His people.
He is slow to anger, forgiving, and full of love. The word “compassion” means more than just being empathetic or kind to someone; it goes much deeper. It literally means to “suffer with.”
He knows every trouble and hard struggle we walk through. He understands the pain of loss, and He sees our hearts when we feel broken. God reaches out to us with the comfort and care of a loving Father. It’s in His everlasting arms that we’re held secure. And one day, He promises to wipe away every tear.
“The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion,” Psalm 116:5.
6. God is Good.
“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” Psalm 34:8.
The word reminds us that in this world, we will have trouble — it’s not always good, and many days can feel really bad.
But the character of God rises above the struggles we face here. He is good. His ways are good.
Though we sometimes wonder where the goodness is in the heat of difficult places, He promises that He is able to work all things “for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose,” (Romans 8:28).
He gives us hope and a future; we do not need to fear the hard times, for God’s powerful work within our lives is for ultimate good.
“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. His love endures forever,” Psalm 136:1.
7. God is Forgiving and Merciful.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness,” 1 John 1:9.
His mercies are new every morning. God is faithful to forgive us as we come to Him and seek His forgiveness. But He doesn’t just stop there.
The Bible says that He casts our sins away as far as the east is from the west, and that He remembers them no more.
God is a supernatural God. He forgives and cleanses our lives through the gift of Jesus Christ, who took our sins on the cross so that we could live free.
Church, Don’t ever think the pit you’ve dug is too deep for God to reach. He knows no limits. No barriers could keep Him away if you just call out to Him for help. His mercy is big, and His love and power to forgive is unimaginable.
“As far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us,” Psalm 103:12.
Conclusion:
God sees every pain and struggle. He knows where we’ve walked, and He’s able to heal each wounded heart and broken place.
No matter what’s swirling around you today in this world, or what struggles you might be facing right now, remember you are held by an amazing God. His heart is for you, and every promise is true.
Quote:
You relax on a plane, even though you don’t know the pilot. You relax in a cruise liner even though you don’t know the captain. You relax on a bus even though you don’t know the driver. If we know who God is then why cant we Trust Him knowing that He is in control ?
If we get to know who God is and we know His loving, faithful, righteous, powerful, mighty, Sovereign, compassionate, gracious and good, forgiving and merciful character, there is no ways that we cannot surrender ourselves into His loving arms.
Let us pray