Welcome to a firm foundation presented by Princeton Ministries with Dr. Ken Smith. This is Carol Smith, Ken’s wife. Please enjoy.

It’s an old story and perhaps you’ve heard it a man is walking along a very dangerous cliff and suddenly he is thrust by a strong wind as he begins to fall down hundreds of feet to certain death. And at the last moment, with all of his strength, he reaches out and he grabs hold of the bough of a root that is hanging out of the cliff and he holds on for all of his life and suspended between heaven and death. In his agony he cries out, is there anyone up there? In their silence, is there anyone up there? And suddenly the voice of God is heard. Yes, my son, I am here in heaven. God, what should I do? Let go. The man looks below to certain death and he looks again to heaven and he says, God, what should I do?

He says, let go. And the man with his eyes continually fixed upon heaven, he asks, is there anyone else up there? And so often in life we find ourselves in that situation. We know the consequences. We become greatly concerned and worried. We ask God, are you there? Yes, I’m here. Well, what do you want me to do? And he points our attention to some scripture and displeased at his advice, we ask, perhaps there’s another scripture, perhaps there’s something else that I can do. But I believe as we read from the book of Genesis to revelation that there is in fact one lesson that God has for his people. He has always had one lesson. It has never changed. It has gone from the beginning of time to the end of time. It is the message that Israel sometimes obeyed and sometimes forgot.

It is in the history of the nation of Israel that the lesson is to be found. Abraham learned the lesson as he was asked to bring his son, Isaac. The people, while they were in bondage in Egypt were instructed in this lesson as they were given their freedom and they entered the promised land. It was a lesson that God would instruct them that they should place blood over the lintel of their doors, that they might not die as death would pass over their firstborn son in the crossing of the Red Sea.

God was trying to teach this one lesson as they came to the bitter waters in the wilderness at Marah and they were not able to drink and God instructed them to cut down a tree and to throw it in those waters that they might be able to drink from then freshened water. The lesson was being taught to God’s people. It was the same lesson that God was teaching day by day as he would give Manna to his people with the instruction that there will be just enough for one day and on the day before the Sabbath gather twice that you might not have to labor on the Sabbath. The lesson was being taught as God brought Moses to be instructed in the ten Commandments. The lesson was being taught as they built a tabernacle in the wilderness.

The lesson continued to be taught to them as they crossed the Jordan into the land that God had given. It was a lesson that would be taught as they would see the walls of the city of Jericho fall before their eyes. It was a lesson that would be taught to Gideon as he would begin to take his armies and to make them smaller and smaller. There is one lesson that God wants his people to know. The lesson has never changed from Abraham to the church today as we would find ourselves eternity in heaven. It is the same lesson. Do you know what the lesson is? I think I can give you in two words what the lesson is. Trust me. God is saying, trust me. Trust me. In every circumstance of your life, everywhere in scripture it’s the same message, trust me.

I know that my word may sound ill placed facing the problems that you have, but trust me. I know that you want something and that you believe that you will get it through this plan even though it is slightly immoral. Trust me. There’s another way. It’s the message of scripture. As God says to his people, trust me. Trust my word. Trust me. Whether it’s a financial reversal, God says, trust me. Whether it’s a child who is disobedient, he says, trust me. A relationship that has been broken, trust me. Problems at work? Trust me. Difficulties at school, trust me. Problems in your family. Trust me.

It was the lesson that a young boy, 17 years old, Joseph would learn intimately was the lesson that as a young man he would be taken by his brothers, that he would be cast into a pit where they hoped that he had died. And as they decided what they would do, a caravan comes by of Ishmaelite merchants and they take him out of that pit and they bring him to Egypt. And there Joseph is sold into slavery. His brothers take his jacket, dip it in the blood of a goat and bring it to their father who then assumes my son Joseph has been killed. Joseph in Egypt as a slave learned the lesson early, trust me. He did not, with a stiff neck rebel against the father, but he simply waited patiently.

He would be sold to Potiphar, who was the captain of the pharaoh’s guard, a powerful man. And in the home of Potiphar Joseph would be given responsibilities over the household. Potiphar’s wife would cast a seductive look at Joseph and she would try to accuse him of being aggressive and Potiphar would take Joseph and cast him into prison where he remained for several years. Can you imagine being in prison for something you have never done being placed there through the treachery of your brothers? And in that moment God is certainly teaching Joseph the message trust me, certainly.

There must have been many times when Joseph in prayer in some desperation would cry out to God and that he would climb the vast staircase to heaven to the very throne room of God and there he would knock on the door of God almighty through prayer and in that crying out God please get me out of this prison, free me. He would beat his hands raw in prayer asking for that freedom. And it would seem certainly to Joseph day after day, week after week, year after year in prison that the door to the throne of God was locked. And as he continued to beat in prayer that he would beat his hands raw and he would stop for a moment and he would press his ear against the very throne room of God and he would hear almost as a whisper trust.

And for years in a prison he trusted the Lord. Surely the words of the apostle Paul are as true for Joseph as they are for us. Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and notice what will be given. The peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ. Be anxious for nothing. Worry about nothing. This week two conversations stand in contrast. One is a young man about 30 wanted to talk with me. We talked for an hour. Successful in business certainly has great hopes for success as an executive but he said it’s interesting. I’m a Christian, I love the Lord but I have no goals for my life. I don’t know what my purpose is. I love Jesus Christ.

I’m very busy in my church. As a matter of fact I am omnipresent. I am to be found at every activity and where there isn’t an activity, I create one. I’m very busy for the Lord but I can’t sleep you see I’m 30 years old and I’m not married and I wonder if I’ll ever be married. I want to be married. I’ve kept myself pure for marriage. Do you know something? I can’t sleep at night because I worry about it and I don’t go to a meeting where I’m not anxious. Is this the woman that I’ll marry. And it seems that my whole life is wrapped up in worry about this one question. Will I ever have a wife? What advice do you have for me? You’re busy in church. You love the Lord. You’re serving him. You’re obedient to him.

Then be obedient in this area. Be anxious for nothing. When the Lord has a wife, he will bring her, neither sooner nor later. The wife that you have, that you will have according to the sovereign will of God, we will wait to see. But what good will your worrying do? Will it increase your height by one inch? You see, we worry about things that we have little control over. And at times our lives become preoccupied, becoming anxious and worried about things that are in the will of God, that we simply wait to unfold. Let me contrast that conversation with a second conversation, a phone call from our family. Sister in law, two children, a Christian, 33 years old, hasn’t been feeling well. Went to the doctor. He said, you have leukemia. We can only estimate three to five years of life remaining.

And you ask Lynn, are you anxious? Are you worried? She says, I’ve received so much. And when I compare what the Lord has given me to what lies ahead, I’ll simply trust in him. I won’t be anxious about tomorrow. Scriptures tell us, be anxious for nothing, to worry about nothing. But instead, make your requests known to God. Pray to him. And what will he give you? A peace that passes all understanding. What is it that you are most worried about? Bring it to the Lord. Acknowledge it for what it is unbelief. For all of our worry, all of our anxiety when it is distilled. And all that is left is the small residue, what do we have? It is the kernel of unbelief. It is the belief that God is not able to deliver upon his promises.

It is worrying about things that we have no control over. And so Jesus says to us, don’t worry about anything. Will it be able to increase your stature by one inch? Be anxious for nothing. You see, eventually, Joseph would be released from prison, made the prime minister of Egypt. Did he know that would happen? No. But in the sovereignty of God, it happened. And in the sovereignty of God, he would suddenly stand before his brothers who had taken him and thrown him into the pit. His brothers were certain that now he would avenge their treachery. But at that very moment when he could have taken their lives, Joseph looked at them and he said, I know that you men meant this for evil. And what’s he talking about? Oh, it was the day you threw me in the pit.

It was the time that I spent in prison. It was the time that I was a slave in a household. It was those years that I was useless as I laid in a prison. I know that you meant to all of that for evil. But the God that I worship meant it for good. And he does not show wrath against his brothers. When Jesus is on the cross with all of the sin of the world on his shoulders, he looks out at the people who are responsible for his death upon the cross and he says, forgive them. They don’t even know what they’re doing. And he dies. And we might, in our anxiety, if we had been one of the disciples, look at Jesus and worry about tomorrow and be anxious, will I be gathered up as one of his disciples and killed?

But what they didn’t know was three days later, Jesus would raise from the dead and he would serve them breakfast on the sea of Galilee. What is it that we worry about? Be anxious for nothing. What are you worried about? Be worried about nothing. Simply knowing that God has a plan for your life that he is making known to you day by day, one day at a time, 1 hour, 1 second at a time. That we would by prayer with thanksgiving, give thanks to him. And he has promised that his peace will be with us. Why? That we might not worry about tomorrow, but also that we might not worry about eternity.

If you did not know Christ, and you don’t know where you are going to spend eternity, and you’re worried and anxious and frightened, then Jesus Christ says, you need not be worried. In my father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so, would I tell you that I go to prepare a place for you? Are you worried about where you will spend eternity? Jesus said, there’s no reason to worry. If you would put your faith in my death on the cross, if you would believe that I was raised from the dead on the third day that my blood was shed for your sin, then by faith you’re made new and you need not worry about where you will spend eternity. Remember, be anxious for nothing, worried about nothing.

Make your requests known to him with prayer and thanksgiving, and the peace of God will rest upon your life. Let us pray. Our God and our father, we come before you as people who are prone to worry that our old nature is constantly being stirred up in anxious thoughts about tomorrow, about next year, about ten years from now, about our retirement. Father, help us to see that we should be worried and anxious about nothing. Let us make our requests known to you help us. We pray to trust in this promise. Help us to remember that it is the daily manna that you give us that you ask us to use for your kingdom and father, help us to trust in this great promise that you will give us your peace and we give you thanks in Jesus name. Amen.

Thank you for listening to affirm foundation presented by Princeton Ministries. This programming is supported by you, the listener. You may go to our website, princetonministries.org, or send your donation to Princeton Ministries Post Office Box 2171, Princeton, New Jersey 08543 Princeton Ministries Post Office Box 2171 Princeton, New Jersey 08543 the Lord bless you and Dr. Smith looks forward to hearing from.