In God we trust. In God we trust. I'm sure this morning as you hear that little motto, you immediately recognize it. Now you don't necessarily recognize it as a quotation from the scriptures, but you may very well recognize it as the motto that has been adopted by the United States of America. If you were to travel to the United States of America, you would see that that little motto appears in a whole host of different places. You think about the banknotes, the money. You think about the coins that are used in the United States of America. They all bear this wonderful little motto, in God we trust. I'm told that even in the license plates of Some states, the card registration plates, underneath you see these wonderful words, in God we trust. The little motto appears not only as a motto for the government of the entire United States of America, but it appears on the flags of individual states as well. The states of Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, they all bear this wonderful little motto on their state flags, in God we trust. If you were to visit the House of Representatives in Washington, you see there just above the seats where the Speaker and the Vice President sit, right there at the center of the building on the back wall, in the stone, in God we trust. Back in 1956, this motto was adopted by the United States Congress as the official motto of their nation. But the motto goes back further than that. The earliest usage I could find on the internet of this motto in the United States was by Benjamin Franklin's Pennsylvania Militia. These men who had come together to form an amateur fighting force, and of course they had a standard, they had a flag, and what did we read on that? In God we trust. And I suspect, men and women, over the next couple of days, if you are out and about, you may very well see banners being carried at the front of parades. Now those banners carry all kinds of different depictions. Sometimes they have a depiction of a place of local interest. Maybe they feature a painting of someone who is local to the area, but a historical figure who has achieved something very unique. Some banners, of course, they carry paintings of depictions of events from the scriptures. But I suspect if you look at quite a few of those banners, you will see these words, in God our trust. Reminding us, of course, that we do not depend on men, we do not depend on ourselves, but all of our trust must be on the Lord. We turn our attention then this morning to Isaiah 26 and the verse four. Perhaps you are more familiar with the verse 3, thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is staying on thee because he trusteth in thee. But it is the verse 4 that we want to concentrate on for a few moments today. Trust ye in the Lord forever. For in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength. Very simply this morning we take the title trusting in the Lord. That's what we see here simply before us in verse four, trusting in the Lord. And as we look at this verse four, initially, we want to point out the call to trust. The call to trust. Trust ye in the Lord forever. There is this command, this call, this instruction to the people of God, trust ye in the Lord. You take that word trust, it carries the meaning of being confident or being sure. So confident and so sure that we're bold, we're depending, we're relying upon the Lord. We have refuge in Him. This little call to trust, this simple instruction, it's a straightforward command. It's not a command that is hard to comprehend. But every Christian must acknowledge at times it's exceedingly difficult for us to simply trust in the Lord. We struggle. We struggle at times simply just to quiet our hearts and rely and depend on the Lord. One commentator says it's very simplicity is its difficulty. And that's the truth. We've probably all proved that in our lives. You see, child of God, when we're on the mountaintop, when things seem to be working out as we would have planned, when everything seems to be going well according to our own hearts, it's very easy for us to piously and wholeheartedly say, I'm trusting in the Lord. But when there's a problem in our lives, when there's difficulties, when their trials are there, perhaps we're not so resolute in declaring our trust in the Lord. When we're going through the difficult periods and stages of life, maybe then we're not leaning on the Lord in the way that we should. We're fretting over things, we're turning things over in our mind, we're anxious. We're not trusting in the Lord in the way that we should. I suspect, child of God, there have been times in all of our lives when we've been in the midst of great trial, and we have proved the truth of verse three. Thy will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind has stayed on thee. And when we've been going through those difficult times, we've steadied our mind and meditated upon the Lord, and the Lord has flooded our soul with peace. But equally, child of God, we have to acknowledge there have been times in our lives, the difficulties have been there, and we've allowed circumstances to consume us, to overwhelm us. Things are not going in the way that we would want, and we're not leaning on the Lord. The situation in our eyes seems to be spiralling out of control. It's going in the wrong direction and we're anxious about it. We're not resting in the Lord. Sometimes when a situation appears to be going the wrong way, sometimes we take it upon ourselves to intervene. And we say, well, I'm going to fix this situation. I'm going to attempt to change things. Maybe we lack patience, we want to hurry things on, and this calm waiting, this trusting in the Lord in every circumstance, no matter what we're facing, it doesn't always feature Christian, does it? Trusting in the Lord in every circumstance of life can be very difficult for the Christian. Simply resting in Him, leaning in Him, When things are going the wrong way, or so it would seem. We look at the scriptures and we see those in the midst of trying and difficult circumstances. And what are they doing? They're leaning on the Lord. They're simply trusting, simply acknowledging the sovereignty of God. He is over all things. Everything's under control. Even when they don't understand, the Lord's in control. You think of 1st Samuel, the opening chapters of 1st Samuel, what do we see there? Well, we see that the little boy Samuel has been brought by his mother Hannah to the temple he is to serve there. That was the promise that she made to the Lord. And so the little boy Samuel is under the charge of Eli the priest. You remember the account that's given there? Little boy is lying in his bed. He hears one calling to him. He presumes it's Eli. Happens again. Eli realizes that this is the voice of God speaking to Samuel. He says to Samuel, when you hear the voice again, cry out, speak, Lord, thy servant heareth. That's what happened. And the Lord speaks to this little boy, Samuel, and the Lord gives Samuel this message. There's going to be consequences for Eli and for his family. You see, his sons were exceedingly wicked, and Eli didn't restrain them, and there's going to be consequences. The next morning, Samuel relays all that the Lord has told him to Eli. First Samuel 3, 18, and Samuel told him every wit and hid nothing from him. And here we have Eli's response. It is the Lord. Let him do what seemeth him good. Now you think about what Eli's saying there. Eli has just heard that the chastening hand of God is coming against him and coming against his family. Nevertheless, Eli's still going to trust the Lord. He bows to the sovereignty of the Lord. He knows that the Lord is going to do all things well. And even as he faced chastening, he lies trusting the Lord. What a challenge there is there for us believer. Trusting the Lord in every circumstance. What about those words in the New Testament we often cling to in the midst of trial, Romans 8, 28, and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God. to them who are called according to his purpose. How often, child of God, in the midst of trial, have you turned over those words in your mind? We're facing some circumstance. We can't understand why we are found in this place. Why has the Lord allowed this to happen to us? We have not created this circumstance. We certainly haven't manufactured it. We would never wish for it. But this is where we are, and we ask the question, why has the Lord allowed this to happen? Then we pause. We remember that all things work together for good to them that love God. We remember that we're called to trust the Lord, even when things seem to be going awry. Even when it's the hardest thing for us to do, the command of God is here, trust ye in the Lord. Trust. That's what verse four says, trust ye in the Lord forever. In every circumstance, no matter what you're facing, trust the Lord. In calamity, in adversity, Persecution and poverty, you are to place your entire confidence in Him as you face temptation and sickness and affliction and grief. Trust. The call to trust is here. Trust ye in the Lord forever. And of course, child of God, if we are going to trust the Lord, then our hearts, our minds must be stayed on God. Our minds must be leaning on the Lord, for it is he who supports us. We refer again to verse 3, I will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee. If we're going to trust the Lord, our minds must be stayed on him. Our minds must be saturated with the Word of God. Our minds must be illuminated by the Spirit of God. The Scripture tells us to meditate on the Word of God day and night, to fill our hearts and minds with thoughts of Him. Child of God, it is essential that we guard our minds. Satan will seek to attack our minds, to cause confusion and doubt, Martin Luther, the great reformer, knew much of the attacks of the devil as he sought to minister for the Lord. He noted that it was the devil's chief concern to drive Christians away from the word of God. The devil was looking for some opportunity always in the mind of the Christian where he could wiggle in and bring in corruption and temptation. But Luther said we must go to the Word of God because the Word of God is a shield. It resists, it overcomes all the fury of the fiery heat. This shield fears nothing, says Luther, neither hell nor the devil. If we're going to trust the Lord in every circumstance, we must fill our minds with the Lord. We must resist the devil. We must meditate on the word of God. The call to trust is issued here in verse four. But secondly, this morning, as we come to verse four, we see the one to trust. There is one specified, there is one singled out, the one we are to place our trust in. The verse says, trust ye in the Lord forever. We are to place our trust in the Lord. That word Lord, the name of God is in black capitals. Therefore, it is Jehovah. It is the name Jehovah, the covenant name of God. It reminds us of the covenant that the Lord made with Israel. It reminds us that God is self-existent, that he is eternal. You think of Exodus 3 and God telling Moses, I am that I am. Moses says, I have to take this message that thou hast given me to the children of Israel. Who should I say gave me this message? And the Lord says, his name is I Am. The same name that Christ takes for himself in the New Testament, proving the deity of Christ. You see, the one we are to place our trust in, according to verse four here, is the true and the living God. He is the triune God. He is God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost. He is the creator of all things. He is the sustainer. He's sovereign over all. The Bible says He changes not. The one we are to place our trust in, in every uncertain circumstance, is the very same God who orders the salvation of His people. The very same God who gives us this wonderful plan of redemption whereby wicked sinners like you and I can be reconciled to a holy and just God. And our sin can be blotted out, but at the same time, divine justice can be upheld. The one we are to trust in gives us this wonderful plan of redemption. The Father sending the Son, God the Father sending God the Son to be the Savior of the world. God the Holy Ghost coming, indwelling us, the Comforter, His presence with us. Who are you to trust, Christian, in every circumstance? The very God who ordered your salvation. What a thought. You think of the power of God, you think of the holiness of God, you think of the majesty of God. Zephaniah 3, the Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty. Listen, child of God, when you're facing trial, when the doubt is there, when the discouragement is there, remember the one you are implored to trust in. Verse 4 of Isaiah 26 is not commanding you to trust some flawed creature. You're not commanded to trust one who is apt to let you down. You're not ordered to trust one who has a bad track record, no. You're to trust Almighty God. You know what the sad reality is? Many people look away from God and place their trust in other places. We live in a world today where so many people seem to trust themselves. They're met with some difficulty, some trial, some hardship. I can do this. I believe in myself. I believe that if I put my mind to doing something, then I'll be able to do it no matter how hard it is. Man's self-centered. There are other people in this day and age, and they place their trust in their friends and in their families. They place their eyes on their fellow men, and they're going to be let down. But we're commanded to trust Almighty God. Child of God, when things in your life aren't as you would wish them, continue looking to the Lord. Think of those words that we find in Psalm 20, in the verse seven, the psalmist there is speaking and he says, some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord, our God. Words perhaps that we're all familiar with there in Psalm 20 in the verse seven, but the imagery there is of warfare. The imagery there is of the war chariot, an item of military equipment that has been designed specifically to be effective in battle. The war horse, of course, is a horse that has great strength, that is trained specifically for battle. And what the psalmist is saying, some people place their trust in military strength, in their own might. They place their trust in resources and in equipment. But the psalmist says, I don't do that. My trust is firmly in almighty God, because it is God who will give the success in battle. Whatever instruments God gives us, whatever resources we have, whatever ability we've been given that we may employ in God's service, it is God who gives the victory. Therefore, we trust in him. Our eyes are on the Lord. And of course, there is a huge challenge there for the church. There's a challenge there for every congregation because we're so apt to fall into this pitfall of placing our trust in resources. How is the need going to be met? Oh, well, we look at the bank account. Maybe we place our trust in the abilities of a few. Oh, the Lord's going to bless this place. Why? Because we have great children's workers and we have a great minister. And we're placing our trust in resources, we're placing our trust in the ability of men, but the Lord says we're to place our trust in him. Nowhere else. C.H. Spurgeon, the great London preacher, remarked that a loving parent would be sorely grieved to find out that his child did not trust him. What an awful thing that would be if a father found out that his young son didn't trust him. But Spurgeon went on with his illustration and pointed out the fact that so often that is exactly how we, the children of God, behave. We fail to trust the Lord. We fail to place our confidence in Him in every circumstance that we face. He, Almighty God, who has never let us down, who is faithful, who will never fail us. And yet our trust in Him is not resolute. We're thinking here this morning of the Christian trusting in the Lord throughout his Christian life in every circumstance, no matter what the barrier is ahead of him, no matter what's there in his way, the obstacles, the stumbling blocks, the trials, the temptations, always trusting in the Lord. But of course, in order to start out on that journey, that Christian walk where we're continually trusting in the Lord, there must be a moment of time when we trusted in the Lord initially. Where we came and we placed our trust in him, I think of Matthew's gospel. In the chapter 12, we have there a wonderful verse. Matthew chapter 12, and it is the verse 21. It is a quotation. of a prophecy that is found in the Old Testament scriptures. Matthew chapter 12 and the verse 21. And in his name shall the Gentiles trust. And that verse is speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ's name shall the Gentiles trust. And as I say, this is a quotation of an Old Testament prophecy. And the Old Testament prophet is saying, there's coming a day in the future when the gospel will be preached to Gentiles. The gospel will be preached to Gentiles in a way it has never been preached before. And the Gentiles will believe. They will place their trust in Christ. They will trust Christ as Savior and as Lord and as Redeemer. And you go into the New Testament and you see that's what happens. the book of Acts, on into the New Testament, you see Gentiles brought to Christ. Of course, we remember those wonderful words that the people of God are going to be gathered from every tribe and every tongue and every nation. I ask you the question this morning, are you trusting in Christ for salvation? Maybe you haven't begun the Christian walk. Maybe for you, you haven't begun on that journey of consistently and always trusting the Lord in every circumstance. You're not saved. Oh, you need to place your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. You need to come today. You need to start out on that walk. The call to trust. The one to trust, the one we're to place our trust in. Finally, as we look at Isaiah 26 in the verse four, we see the reason to trust. The reason to trust. Trust ye in the Lord forever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength. Here we have a reason given. It's not just that we come to verse four and the statement is made, trust in the Lord, and then we move on to verse five. No, a reason is given. We look at that little word for. For is a linking word. The command to trust the Lord hinges on what's going to follow in this verse. The truth that in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength. We're taken on from considering the fact that we need to consistently look to the Lord and trust him, and now we're taken on to consider the attributes, the qualities of God, and as a result, our confidence in him rises higher still. We see the qualities and attributes of God, and our souls are buoyed up. You look at the words that are used to describe the Lord here. The text says, the Lord Jehovah. The double use of the Lord's name that expresses the highest possible majesty and glory, the holiness of God, it's reverence. And in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength. Now if you have a margin in your Bible beside everlasting strength, you may see the word rock of ages. That's the sense, that's the meaning there. The hymn we were singing a few moments ago, Rock of Ages, Augustus' top lady wrote those words based on verse four. God is the Rock of Ages. He has everlasting strength. He's unchangeable like a rock. A rock speaks of protection, it speaks of defense. Nothing can be too hard for the Lord because He has everlasting strength. Nothing can cause His power to weaken or decay. His strength is everlasting. He is a rock. A rock is a place of safety, security, protection. When the attackers come, when the assault is there, we flee, we hide in the rock. And of course, rock speaks of a foundation as well. A firm foundation, a sure and a steadfast foundation. You think of the Lord Jesus Christ there preaching in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew chapter seven. Christ says, therefore, whosoever hear these things of mine and doeth them, I will liken him on to a wise man which built his house upon a rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock. And the Lord Jesus Christ says here to all who are listening to this Sermon on the Mount, you have heard my teaching, you have heard the instruction that I have given, now you must heed that instruction. And Christ says of those who heed the instruction that he has given, those who obey Christ, those who follow Christ, they are like the wise man. They're building upon a rock. They have a sure foundation. And what is that rock? It's Christ. Because those who are wise base everything on Christ. They stake all on Christ. He is their foundation. What does that mean? It means when the storm of death comes, the structure's secure. It means it's safe. It means there's no danger, no loss, all is well. And I ask you this morning, you're with us in this service. Are you like the wise man? Are you building upon the rock the firm foundation Are you building on the Lord Jesus Christ? Are you secure when the storm of death comes, will all be well with you? And you ask the question, well, what does it mean to build on this foundation? How can I rest on this rock, the Lord Jesus Christ? Well, the way of salvation is plain. We are to repent of our sins. You turn away from them. You put those sins behind you. You seek to be done with sin. We are to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. You receive Christ as Savior and Lord. You crown him King of your life. And you cry out for salvation. Seek the Lord's forgiveness. The Bible says you come to Christ. and he will receive you. What we see then is a reason to trust, the call to trust, the one we are to trust in, and the reason to trust. The reality is today in this world that we live, many people, the secular world will seek to place faith in opposition to reason. They will say, either you're intelligent and you follow science and you follow facts and you follow reason, or else you're a person of faith and you just hold on to blind faith and that's it. That's what the world says. Well, that's a nonsense. I like the simple response of one commentator to such an argument. And with this, I finish. He says, there is nothing more reasonable than completely trusting in him whose name is Jehovah and in whom is the rock of ages. There is nothing more reasonable than completely trusting in him whose name is Jehovah and in whom is the rock of ages. Trust ye in the Lord forever. For in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.