On Tuesday during Conference, Dennis
Coleman (Shiloh SDB church) gave another
8-minute message of the week. Here is
what he shared:
During this year’s General Conference,
Pastor Scott Hausrath led a Bible study
where he taught us how to develop
steadfast trust. I believe for us to say we
have steadfast trust we must be willing
to trust God with a specific situation.
And so we are confronted with a question:
Are you willing to trust God with
______________? (Fill in the blank.)
I found myself faced with having to answer this very question
sixteen years ago, just after my wife Julia and I learned we
were expecting our first child. After receiving the good news,
I let Julia talk me into accompanying her to the doctor’s
office for what was supposed to be a routine checkup. At
first all went as planned. We found ourselves laughing and
joking with the staff until Julia’s doctor suddenly made a
strange face...one you do not want to see any doctor make.
She explained how Julia had developed a condition which
was affecting the pregnancy. More often than not, she told
us, this condition leads to a woman losing her baby.
Suddenly I found myself in a position where I needed to
comfort my wife while still trying to process what I had
just heard. As a good Christian husband, I
assured Julia that God would take care of
this pregnancy and that the baby would be
just fine. She asked if I truly believed what I
was saying. My faith was on trial and Julia
was not the only one asking a question.
God was asking if I was willing to trust Him
with the life of my son. With the Holy Spirit
at work in our hearts, Julia and I were able
to say yes to God. We were willing to trust
Him with our baby...a decision we shared
with our doctor.
It turns out God had provided a doctor who is a believer.
Upon hearing our decision she joined us in prayer and
worship. We took comfort in the fact that our doctor knew
that God is in control. Yes, she still used her training to
support the pregnancy over the next few months, but she
did so in service to the Lord. Our doctor understood that
God did not need her help. What He wanted was a doctor
who was willing to trust in Him. He wanted the same from
us as parents as He continued to watch
over the child as we approached our due
date.
Fourteen days before the baby was due,
Julia called to tell me that the doctors
were going to induce labor. During some-
thing called a stress test the baby’s heart
rate went down when it should have
gone up. We would spend the rest of the
day in a hospital. However, nothing hap-
pened until our doctor, who was sched-
uled for the night shift, arrived and
joined us in prayer. Those of you who
came to the Sunday night session of General Conference
were able to hear Joshua as he played bass with the Shiloh
Praise Band! God is directing Joshua’s path. In many ways
he has shown me more about trusting God than I have
shown him.
Some of you reading this are dealing with difficult situa-
tions. Perhaps your children are on the wrong path. Perhaps
your finances are not where you need them to be. Maybe
the problem is more spiritual: doubts about what you
should believe or even struggles with a temptation which
you thought you had defeated. Are you willing to trust God
with whatever specific difficulty you are facing? Are you
willing to trust God with _________? (Fill in the blank.)
8
September 2015 SR
8-Minute Message
Are You Willing to Trust God?
Josh and friends at the Youth Banquet
Pastor Scott Hausrath
Monday morning
Bible Study:
“Steadfast Trust”
SR
