Trust is defined @ dictionary.com as: confident expectation of something; hope. Being honest with
myself and with you, I’d have to admit that I haven’t always been able to say I
trust God with the hard stuff… I felt
as though I had to maintain an intense grip on the hard stuff so I could assure
myself the least amount of pain. BUT, as we
stubborn people learn, we are not capable of such assurance and cannot govern our own lives without
falling flat on our faces from time to time. :/ I was once a pro at ‘mask-wearing’ and ‘wall-building’.
I could act like everything was ok outwardly, while battling a constant
misery inside – feeling completely out of control in the midst of my striving
to ‘keep control’. When I honestly
admitted to God that I had trust issues, even with Him, I slowly released my
grip and invited Him to govern where He already was, sure He was tempted to say, 'what took you so long?'. :) Anyway, I found (and am still finding) that
it’s only in giving my expectations, my desires, my fears, my heartaches, my 'lack-of-control-even-when-I-want-to-control' self to God that He provides extra strength that I need to make it through these hard and even ‘bad’ times.
I am currently surrounded by
people and circumstances where hurting is very real!
You are, too, more than likely. So, do I
believe that God is a cruel God because He isn’t just “fixing” these
things? No, not at all... I believe, I choose to trust that
even though I beg and plead with him on behalf of my own family and so many
others that HE IS working the best plan whether I am ever able to see it or not. And that trust is something I have to renew
daily (sometimes hourly) by feeding on His promises.
See, sometimes God
changes circumstances, but sometimes He doesn’t. A lot of times in my own life, I seem to hear
him say that He WON’T remove said situations or circumstances, but that He WILL
be with me and WILL give me the stamina I need to get through them. He gives me more strength than I ever thought
possible when I am relying on His unending supply. I may never fully understand Paul's words about
God’s power being “made perfect in my weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9) but I believe
it because I can testify to this very thing.
When I feel like I cannot go one more step, His power moves my weakness
to the next spot. And then before I know
it, one more hard thing is behind
me.
My call to surrender continually
confronts my desire to control. I
suppose it always will but I am grateful that my God loves me right back to His
better way every time!
This week, I found a random piece of journal paper where I had copied
this a few of years ago…
“There are times
when, even as Christians, we make plans without God. Sometimes it’s to
distract us from pain and sometimes we just stubbornly choose to go our own
way. But whether our decisions are large or small, our Heavenly Father should
lead us every step of the way. Our confidence should always be placed in the Lord instead of our own plans.
Psalm 62:5-8 says, ‘Find
rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and
my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my
honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all
times, people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”
Maybe you’re tempted
as I am (still) to put your hope in people, health, rest, status or the ‘perfect’
job, finances or peaceful circumstances but today, I would challenge us both to
put our hope in the ONE that will not disappoint… the ONE who promises rest and
life to the fullest…the ONE who knows best what we need, even in the hard/bad times.
“Look around you and be
distressed,
look within you and be depressed.
Look to Jesus, and be at rest.”
- Corrie
ten Boom
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