CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE

Threefold Faith

Mark Drabenstott

Each of us has a silent companion in the back of our mind throughout life’s journey. It’s patient but persistent. Whenever we reach a problem or decision, it sounds out: YOU can do it. People of faith hear a better voice. It’s summed up in one short verse:

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. (Ps. 37:5)

There are three powerful faith lessons here.

Commit Your Way

David, the author of this Psalm, knew what “commit” means. Unlike Israel’s greatest warriors cowering in their tents, David committed his life to God. There was no turning back. He just stood there in front of the giant, simple shepherd youth that he was. 

David committed the battle to God. Even at his tender age, David already knew that it was not his own strength that had delivered him from lions and bears. It was God’s. Standing in front of Goliath, he could say with confidence: “The battle is the Lord’s.”

The Hebrew word translated to English as “commit” is worth pondering. The root word means to roll a stone. David reached into the brook for five smooth stones and picked one. He put it in his slingshot. Do we think that David’s aim was so precise, his arm so strong, that he could put the stone in the only place to bring down Goliath? 

I prefer to think it was not David’s aim. It was God’s. This battle was the Lord’s. He rolled the stone.

Trust in God

Committing your life to God is a great start. But trust in God must follow. What does that trust really mean? 

Here’s one way to put it. Trust is a confident expectation—being sure that what you expect to happen will happen. In short, real trust sets aside all the maybes and what ifs. 

The woman who sought out Jesus to cure her 12-year-long hemorrhage epitomizes such trust. She had depleted her savings with doctors—in vain. Then she heard of Jesus’ miracles. She believed in him so much that she concluded just touching his garments would make her well. THAT is trust. Not, “Maybe Jesus can help me.” Or, “It’s worth a try.

The woman committed her way to God. She left her home, creeping low through the crowd, seeking Jesus. But she did not just commit. She trusted, without a scintilla of doubt. 

Finally, she was close enough to reach out and touch his hem. Instantly, she was healed.

This was God’s grace meeting sure faith. Jesus explains it with these few words: Your faith has made you whole.

He Will Act

Real trust brings a response. And that brings us to the wonderful capstone in David’s trifecta. When we commit to God, when we trust Him, what happens next? Does God throw the problem back to us? No, He acts. He solves the problem. Not our way. HIS way. God acts to help us—in wondrous ways, ways we could never imagine or anticipate.

The great finale to Abraham’s faithful life provides a powerful illustration of this principle. Having waited so long for the beloved son of promise, God next asked Abraham to do something that seemed both horrible and impossible. Go up the mountain and sacrifice your beloved son. 

Abraham was not staggered. He prepared the wood. He prepared his son, Isaac. And together they trudged up the mountain. Abraham’s trust in God was so sure that he unsheathed the knife and lifted it high, poised to carry out God’s command. But it was God who acted. God’s angel stayed Abraham’s hand. God provided a ram—and, of course, in the end, provided His own son. 

Abraham committed his way to God. He walked up that mountain. Abraham trusted in God—even to the point of knowing that Isaac would be raised from the dead. And even though Abraham was ready, God acted. 

This is the amazing and beautiful part of faith. God can work out any problem—in ways we cannot anticipate. But He acts after we commit our path to Him—and after we lean with all our weight on Him. 

Peace and Rest

A huge benefit flows from following David’s advice. If you listen only to that persistent voice in your mind, you’ll end up in despair and exhaustion. There is a better way—a way to joy, peace and life. Jesus put it simply: “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 

Commit your way to God. Trust God. He will act. And you will find peace and rest.

Here at WCF, we’re committed to helping people around the world grow this threefold cord of faith. We do this by God’s grace and your generous support. In this season of giving, please consider making a one-time, ongoing or legacy gift to WCF. Amid the turmoil throughout our world, we pray your faith is growing—threefold strong.