Radical Trust: Finding Rest in God's Provision

Devotional

Day 1: Resting in God’s Provision During Times of Testing

God sometimes calls His people into situations that test their faith, asking them to trust in His provision rather than their own efforts. For Israel, this meant letting the land rest every seventh year, risking their livelihoods and security, and learning to depend on what the Lord would provide. In our own lives, God may lead us into moments where obedience feels risky or uncertain, and we are tempted to take matters into our own hands. Yet, these are the very moments where God invites us to rest in Him, to trust that He is able to provide for all our needs when we follow His commands, even when it doesn’t make sense by human standards. [10:23]

Leviticus 25:1-7 (ESV)
The LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you, the land shall keep a Sabbath to the LORD. For six years you shall sow your field, and for six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its fruits, but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a Sabbath to the LORD. You shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard. You shall not reap what grows of itself in your harvest, or gather the grapes of your undressed vine. It shall be a year of solemn rest for the land. The Sabbath of the land shall provide food for you, for yourself and for your male and female slaves and for your hired worker and the sojourner who lives with you, and for your cattle and for the wild animals that are in your land: all its yield shall be for food.”

Reflection: Where in your life is God calling you to trust Him with something that feels risky or uncertain, and how can you take a step of faith to rest in His provision today?

Day 2: God’s Commands May Lead to a Test of Faith

Obeying God’s clear commands or promptings can sometimes lead us into situations that challenge our comfort, security, or even our values. Just as Israel was commanded to let the land rest and trust God for their needs, we may be called to make difficult decisions—whether in our giving, our careers, or our relationships—that test our faith. In these moments, the temptation is strong to rely on our own wisdom or to manipulate circumstances for our benefit. Yet, God’s desire is that we would trust Him enough to obey, even when it leads us into a test, knowing that He is faithful to see us through. [31:29]

Leviticus 25:18-22 (ESV)
“Therefore you shall do my statutes and keep my rules and perform them, and then you will dwell in the land securely. The land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and dwell in it securely. And if you say, ‘What shall we eat in the seventh year, if we may not sow or gather in our crop?’ I will command my blessing on you in the sixth year, so that it will produce a crop sufficient for three years. When you sow in the eighth year, you will be eating some of the old crop; you shall eat the old until the ninth year, when its crop arrives.”

Reflection: Is there a specific area where obedience to God is leading you into a test of faith? What would it look like to choose obedience and trust Him with the outcome?

Day 3: God’s Faithfulness in the Stories of His People

Throughout Scripture, God has proven Himself faithful to those who trust Him in times of testing. When King Hezekiah faced the threat of Assyria, he chose to trust God rather than seek help elsewhere, and God delivered him, reminding him of His faithfulness in providing for Israel during the Sabbath and Jubilee years. These stories are not just ancient history—they are reminders that God is still faithful today, and that He honors those who stay true to Him in the face of fear and uncertainty. [40:27]

2 Kings 19:29-31 (ESV)
“And this shall be the sign for you: This year you shall eat what grows of itself, and in the second year what springs of the same. Then in the third year sow and reap and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD will do this.”

Reflection: Can you recall a time when God came through for you or someone you know in a season of testing? How does remembering God’s past faithfulness encourage you to trust Him now?

Day 4: Seek First the Kingdom—God Knows Your Needs

Jesus taught that when we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, we do not need to worry about our daily needs. Just as God provided for Israel in the wilderness and in the land, He promises to provide for those who put Him first. The challenge is to resist anxiety and the urge to control outcomes, and instead to trust that our heavenly Father knows what we need and will supply it as we follow Him. [41:52]

Matthew 6:31-33 (ESV)
“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Reflection: What is one practical way you can put God’s kingdom first today, trusting Him to provide for your needs?

Day 5: Jesus Is Our True Rest and Provision

The ultimate reason we can trust God in every test is because of what He has done for us in Christ. Jesus is our Sabbath rest—He has accomplished for us what we could never do by our own efforts. All our striving for righteousness and acceptance before God ends at the cross, where Jesus’ hands were nailed for our sins. If we can trust Him with our souls, we can trust Him with every need and every test we face. God’s gracious provision in Christ assures us that He is worthy of our trust, both for salvation and for daily life. [50:53]

Hebrews 4:9-10 (ESV)
“So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.”

Reflection: In what area of your life are you still striving in your own strength instead of resting in what Jesus has already accomplished for you? How can you surrender that area to Him today?

Sermon Summary

Leviticus 25 presents a radical call to trust in God’s provision, as Israel is commanded to let their land rest every seventh year and again in the fiftieth year, the year of Jubilee. For an agricultural society, this was not just a spiritual exercise but a direct challenge to their sense of security and self-sufficiency. God’s command was clear: for one year out of every seven, and then again in the Jubilee, they were to cease from their labors, not sowing or reaping, and instead live off what the land produced on its own. This was a test of faith, a call to depend not on the work of their own hands, but on the work of God’s hands.

This command was not just about agricultural cycles; it was about the heart. God was teaching Israel—and by extension, us—that true rest and security are found not in our own efforts, but in trusting Him. The Sabbath year and Jubilee were designed to level the playing field, to ensure that the poor and the wealthy alike depended on God’s provision, and to prevent oppression and exploitation. God anticipated their fears and their temptation to take matters into their own hands, to scheme or manipulate the system for personal gain. But He called them to integrity, generosity, and above all, faith.

God did not leave His people with only a command; He gave them a promise. He assured them that if they would obey, He would provide abundantly. In fact, He promised that the sixth year would yield enough to sustain them through the Sabbath and Jubilee years, until the next harvest came in. This is not a call to reckless living or a prosperity gospel, but a call to radical trust when God’s leading brings us into seasons of testing. Whether it’s financial giving, a career change prompted by conviction, or any step of obedience that feels risky, God’s word is clear: if we stay true to Him, He will come through for us.

Throughout Scripture, from Hezekiah’s trust in the face of Assyrian threats to Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount, God’s people are called to seek Him first and trust that He knows and meets their needs. The ultimate rest is found in Christ, who is our Sabbath, freeing us from striving for righteousness by our own works. If we can trust Him with our souls, we can trust Him with every test of faith in our lives. The challenge is simple but profound: stay true, so you’ll see Him come through.

---

Key Takeaways

1. God’s Commands Often Lead Us Into Tests of Faith God sometimes calls us to steps of obedience that seem to put our security at risk, just as He called Israel to let their land rest. These moments are not punishments, but invitations to deeper trust. When obedience leads us into uncertainty, it is an opportunity to discover God’s faithfulness in new ways. [08:41]
2. Resting in God Means Letting Go of Self-Sufficiency The Sabbath year required Israel to stop relying on their own efforts and to depend entirely on what God would provide. This challenges our natural tendency to control outcomes and to trust in our own resourcefulness. True spiritual rest comes when we release our grip and trust God to provide, even when the path forward is unclear. [10:23]
3. Integrity and Generosity Are Essential in Times of Testing God warned Israel not to use the Sabbath and Jubilee as opportunities to exploit others or manipulate the system for personal gain. In seasons of testing, our character is revealed—will we act with integrity and generosity, or will we scheme to protect ourselves? God’s people are called to trust Him enough to treat others justly, even when resources feel scarce. [25:58]
4. God’s Promises Are the Foundation for Our Obedience God did not simply command Israel to rest; He promised to provide abundantly if they would trust Him. Our willingness to obey in difficult circumstances is rooted in the assurance of God’s faithfulness. When we step out in faith—whether in giving, career decisions, or other areas—God’s promises give us the courage to move forward, knowing He will supply what we need. [36:02]
5. Christ Is Our Ultimate Rest and Provision The Sabbath and Jubilee point forward to the rest we have in Jesus, who frees us from striving to earn God’s favor. In Him, our work ceases and we receive forgiveness, reconciliation, and eternal life as gifts of grace. If God has provided so completely for our salvation, we can trust Him to provide for every need and every test we face in this life. [50:53]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[05:22] - Introduction: Rest in the Test
[06:17] - The Anxiety of Testing
[08:41] - When Obedience Leads to Uncertainty
[10:23] - Trusting God’s Provision Over Our Own
[18:48] - The Sabbath Year: Radical Dependence
[24:10] - Temptations to Manipulate and Oppress
[25:58] - Integrity in the Year of Jubilee
[30:06] - Modern Applications: When Conviction Costs
[32:46] - God’s Promise of Security and Satisfaction
[36:02] - God’s Abundant Provision in the Test
[38:34] - Hezekiah’s Example of Trust
[41:52] - Jesus’ Words: Seek First the Kingdom
[44:43] - Personal Testimony: God’s Faithfulness
[49:43] - Christ, Our Sabbath and Rest
[51:50] - The Challenge: Stay True, See God Come Through
[52:24] - Closing Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Leviticus 25:1–22 (ESV) — And the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you, the land shall keep a Sabbath to the Lord. For six years you shall sow your field, and for six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its fruits, but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a Sabbath to the Lord. You shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard. You shall not reap what grows of itself in your harvest, or gather the grapes of your undressed vine. It shall be a year of solemn rest for the land. The Sabbath of the land shall provide food for you, for yourself and for your male and female slaves and for your hired worker and the sojourner who lives with you, and for your cattle and for the wild animals that are in your land: all its yield shall be for food. You shall count seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the time of the seven weeks of years shall give you forty-nine years. Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land. And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan. That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of itself nor gather the grapes from the undressed vines. For it is a jubilee. It shall be holy to you. You may eat the produce of the field. In this year of jubilee each of you shall return to his property. And if you make a sale to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor, you shall not wrong one another. You shall pay your neighbor according to the number of years after the jubilee, and he shall sell to you according to the number of years for crops. If the years are many, you shall increase the price, and if the years are few, you shall reduce the price, for it is the number of the crops that he is selling to you. You shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God, for I am the Lord your God. Therefore you shall do my statutes and keep my rules and perform them, and then you will dwell in the land securely. The land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and dwell in it securely. And if you say, ‘What shall we eat in the seventh year, if we may not sow or gather in our crop?’ I will command my blessing on you in the sixth year, so that it will produce a crop sufficient for three years. When you sow in the eighth year, you will be eating some of the old crop; you shall eat the old until the ninth year, when its crop arrives.”

Matthew 6:31–33 (ESV) — Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Observation Questions

What specific instructions did God give Israel regarding the land every seventh year and in the year of Jubilee? (Leviticus 25:1–12)
According to Leviticus 25, what was the purpose of letting the land rest, and who was supposed to benefit from this command? (Leviticus 25:6–7)
What promise did God make to Israel if they obeyed the command to let the land rest? (Leviticus 25:18–22)
In Matthew 6:31–33, what does Jesus say about worry and God’s provision? How does this connect to the instructions in Leviticus 25? [41:52]

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think God commanded Israel to let the land rest every seventh year and during the Jubilee? What might this have taught them about their relationship with God? [10:23]
How would obeying these commands have challenged the Israelites’ sense of security and self-sufficiency? What fears or temptations might they have faced? [24:10]
The sermon mentioned that the Sabbath year and Jubilee were meant to prevent oppression and exploitation. How does trusting God’s provision relate to how we treat others, especially when resources feel scarce? [25:58]
Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:31–33 call us to “seek first the kingdom of God.” How does this principle help us when we face tests of faith or uncertainty about the future? [41:52]

Application Questions

The Israelites were called to stop working the land and trust God to provide, even when it didn’t make sense. Can you think of a time when you felt God was asking you to take a step of faith that felt risky or uncertain? What did you do? [08:41]
The sermon talked about letting go of self-sufficiency and trusting God’s provision. Are there areas in your life right now where you are tempted to “take matters into your own hands” instead of waiting on God? What would it look like to release control in that area? [10:23]
God warned Israel not to use the Sabbath or Jubilee as an opportunity to exploit others. In your own life, are there situations where you are tempted to “look out for yourself” at the expense of others, especially when things feel tight? How can you choose integrity and generosity instead? [25:58]
The promise in Leviticus 25 was that God would provide enough in the sixth year to cover the Sabbath and Jubilee years. What promises from God’s Word encourage you to trust Him when you feel anxious about provision or the future? [36:02]
The sermon gave examples of financial giving, career changes, and other steps of obedience that can feel risky. Is there a specific area where you sense God calling you to obey, even if it feels costly? What is holding you back, and what would it look like to trust Him in that area? [30:06]
The ultimate rest is found in Christ, who frees us from striving to earn God’s favor. Do you find yourself trying to “work” for God’s approval or feeling like you have to earn His love? How does the truth that Jesus is our Sabbath change the way you approach God? [49:43]
The pastor said, “If you want stories, take steps of faith.” What is one step of faith you could take this week that would require you to trust God’s provision or leading? How can the group support you in this? [47:39]

Sermon Clips

Most of the time, a test makes us nervous. If you remember sitting in class and the teacher comes in and says, pop quiz, and you're like, oh no, I was sleeping all day yesterday. And so you get nervous about that, or when you have finals going on, you could study for hours for that final and yet still come in uneasy, uncertain how this is gonna go. Or when you were taking the bar exam, if you did that in law school, that you could have a very nerve wracking moment there. It's a very intense test. Or when you do your SATs or your ACTs. What about when you took your driving test? Anybody remember back to then? It's a long time ago now, but I can remember going down there to the DMV in Longmont and getting in the car and the instructor coming and taking a seat there in the passenger seat. And I just remember, you know, my hands were probably sweating. You know, I'm thinking about where my hands are on the wheel. I'm thinking about my mirrors and checking those and making sure he sees that I'm checking those and, you know, stopping at the white line and then scooting forward at a stop sign and at a red light. Did we forget that that's what we're supposed to do? I still do sometimes. But yeah, you're thinking about all those things. Then every single time you see him look down and his pin is moving, there's just something inside you that's like, man, I'm gonna fail this. And so the reality is, is it's hard to be at rest when you're put to the test. [00:05:33]

And that's especially true when your faith is put to the test, that when you are contemplating a change in jobs or perhaps you lose your job or when there's uncertainty surrounding your relationship with somebody or when someone, when there are situations in your life where you lose someone that you love, or perhaps when your finances are a mess, that it's really challenging to know, how do I go forward from this? And you just find that in those situations you face in life, that your faith is really put to the test in those moments. And in those situations, you can feel nervous, uncertain, uneasy. Where do I go from here? What am I supposed to do? [00:07:10]

What God is doing here is he's calling them to spend an entire year trusting not the work of their hands, but the work of his hands. And God wants to show Israel that their faith can and should rest in him. And God's message to you tonight is that your faith can and should rest in him when you are tested you should trust him when your faith is tested you got those uneasy feelings and those nervous feelings that rather than trying to take matters into your own hands and rather than trusting in the work of your hands to just trust in the work of God's hands. [00:10:23]

When God calls us to rest he also provides for us too. [00:11:53]

God is telling them that you can work every six years sowing and reaping your own fields but when that seventh year comes you're to leave it be you're to let it rest for an entire year now i want you to think about this for a moment for an agricultural society what this would mean that every six years they can't sow their field for a year they can't prune their vineyards they can't glean their fruit and what it's going to do is it's going to put their livelihood at risk do you understand that god's going to put them in a situation that could lend itself to poverty every seven years that sounds very strange to us. [00:14:52]

Once every seven years the wealthy must eat like the poor, everyone must depend, here's the key, everyone must depend for one year every seven years on what the Lord enables the land to produce. He's calling them to a year of total and complete faith in his provision. [00:18:48]

What God is doing here is he is showing them that this sabbath year and this 50th year of jubilee you are to depend wholly and completely on me for your daily provision during the year of sabbath then also for a fresh start in the year of jubilee this is what god is getting at with them. [00:23:44]

If you are busy trying to come up with schemes and use your own cleverness and use your own human ingenuity, you are depending still on the works of your hands. He says, don't do that. [00:25:41]

See what God's doing right now is he is calling them to do something that they don't have the ability to do he is calling them to do something that is leading them to a test of faith and sometimes that's going to happen in our lives that whether it's a clear revelation of scripture or if it's something the Holy Spirit puts in your life he's going to tell you here's what I want you to do and doing what he wants you to do is going to lead you into a crisis of faith a test of faith a time when you're going to ask yourself okay this is getting dicey here am I going to keep going down this path or am I going to try to figure things out on my own am I going to take matters into my own hands. [00:26:53]

It might be that we know that God calls us, obviously, to live by his word. The spirit of God might impress on your heart to come to a particular conclusion that brings you to a very tough decision. Like what? Well, it could be that you worked in a particular field all before you got saved and it was never a problem. But then when you accepted Christ as your savior and he began to change your heart and he changed your mind and he changed your values, that all of a sudden you can find yourself working in an occupation that is kind of inconsistent with your Christian values. [00:29:31]

And what it can do is it can make you uneasy. It can make you nervous. And you can begin to think like these Israelites. It's like I'm giving back my land and it's like I'm laying off my staff and it's like I'm just not going to work for a year and you just get all those feelings. How am I going to make ends meet? How am I going to hit the mortgage? How am I going to take care of my family? And so sometimes a command or a clear leading from God can bring you to a point of decision where your faith is tested. Do I follow through? Do I follow through? with what God wants me to do, or do I keep the status quo? Do I try to figure it out on my own? [00:31:40]

He promises, first of all, that if they will believe and obey him, they will enjoy the satisfaction and security of the land. Would you look at verse 18? God says, Wherefore, ye shall do my statutes and keep my judgments and do them, and ye shall dwell in the land in safety, and the land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat your fill and dwell therein in safety. And so you have this great promise from God that, hey, if you will follow these particular commands, if you'll keep the yearly Sabbath, or the seven -year Sabbath, and if you'll keep the year of Jubilee, then you'll rest in the land securely. I'll establish you there, and you'll eat to the fill of what the land produces. You will be satisfied. You will be secure. And that's a great promise. [00:32:46]

If you're concerned about how you're going to make ends meet during the time of Sabbath and during the time of Jubilee, don't go off oppressing your brothers and sisters. Don't try to figure things out on your own. Here's what I will do. I'm going to command my blessing on the land in that sixth year that it's going to be so abundant and so bountiful that it's going to take care of your needs, not just in the year that you are reaping in the sixth year, but it'll take care of you in the year of Jubilee. And then when you sow at the end of the year of Jubilee, you're not going to have a really good harvest into the eighth year. And so it's going to take care of the sixth year. It's going to take care of the seventh year. It's going to take care of the eighth year. And on until you finally start reaping the harvest in the ninth year, that's how bountiful I'm going to make the sixth year. If you'll trust me, if you'll believe me, if you'll obey me. [00:35:42]

What God is getting across to Israel is really this simple truth, that Israel's faith can rest in the Lord because he faithfully provides for those who believe and obey him. He faithfully provides for those who believe and obey him. We could say it this way, if they'll stay true, God will come through. That's what he's getting across to them. [00:36:44]

And what I want to tell you today is that the message that he's giving them in this text all the way back then is the same message that he wants you and I to get today. And that is this, that your faith can rest in the Lord. Even when you're facing a test of faith, that when you are dealing with those situations that God has... brought you to, that he has called you to do and you have followed through on him and you are having this test of faith. God wants you to know that your faith can rest in him because if you'll stay true, he will come through. That's what he wants you to understand. [00:37:11]

Jesus tells his church that if you will pursue first and foremost of supreme importance, the kingdom of God, and if you will follow after his righteousness, when your faith is tested in those moments, and you're tempted to wonder, What am I going to eat? What am I going to drink? What am I going to wear? Jesus said, God already knows that you have need of those things. He's telling them that if you'll just stay true to my kingdom and true to my word, God will come through to provide for your needs. [00:42:27]

Whatever test God brings you to, God will get you through. That's what he's always promised his people from the time of Genesis through Leviticus to King Hezekiah in the 700s to Jesus to today. God has always promised to provide for those who believe and obey him. [00:43:47]

What we're talking about is when you find something plain and clear in scripture that God is calling you to do. We're talking about when through your personal prayer and devotional life, God is clearly leading you by his spirit to make some decision. We're talking about when you have clear and present leadership from God, that if you will follow him, even when it tests your faith, you'll see him come through in marvelous ways. If you'll stay true, he'll come through. [00:44:35]

If you want stories, take steps of faith. You know, because a lot of times you're like, well, it's great that God provided for them and God did this for them. And you're always hearing about other people's stories, but maybe it's time for us to look inward and ask ourselves, when's the last time that we clearly followed God when it was going to lead us into a test of faith? But God's word tells us is when you follow him, even into a test of faith, you'll find him providing for you every single time. Notice I didn't say making you rich. But what he provides, just like he said to Israel, will be sufficient. [00:47:53]

If you want to be able to look back and say, God did it again, follow him by faith. Trust in him. There's a lot of people who wonder, why would a Christian live like that? Why would you put yourself in a position where you have to so deeply depend on God to come through? The only reason why is because God has done an amazing thing for us. [00:49:17]

All of our striving, all of our work, all of our attempts to attain righteousness and be good enough and be spiritually enough and be moral enough, that never -ending pursuit of a righteousness acceptable to God, all that work ceases when you trust in Jesus. Why? Because you're no longer depending on the works of your hands. You're depending on the works of his hands. Those hands that were nailed to the cross for our... sin. And now in Jesus, we have forgiveness. Now in Jesus, we've been reconciled to a right relationship with God. Now in Jesus, we have received the promise of eternal life. And it's all because of God's gracious provision for us. And a God who laid down his life for you is totally worthy of your trust. [00:50:31]

If you can trust him for your soul, you can trust him in every moment of life to be faithful to you, to provide for you, not just because of what Jesus has done, but also because he's shown us in his word from Old Testament to New Testament. God faithfully provides for those who believe and obey him. [00:51:27]

You can trust him for salvation. You can certainly trust him for your daily needs. And he can provide rest in the test to where the next time you come through something, you're not even nervous. I've seen him do it before. I'll see him do it again. You don't even have a feeling of uneasiness because you've seen him come through time and time again. [00:51:54]

So I just want to leave you with this challenge tonight. Stay true. So you'll see him come through. [00:52:20]

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

What promises does God give to assure trust during tests?

How does trusting God lead to provision and security?

In what ways can faith be tested when following God's commands?