Will You Trust Me?
"Will you trust Me?" Easy question, right? He further asked, "Will you trust Me with all of the little details of your life and all of the big ones, too? Will you let me provide for you and show you just how much I love you? Will you stop and breathe for just a moment, and let Me have control? Will you just let Me take care of you while you enjoy what I have in store for you?" Faith is defined as actively trusting someone or something. For example, when I sit down in a chair, I am actively trusting (having faith) that it is going to hold me. 99% of the time, I do not doubt the sturdiness of a chair; I simply just take a seat. How much more then should we be able to trust the God of the universe? I mean, we are talking about the One who makes the sun rise and the sun set each and every day. The One who takes care of all the birds in the sky and knows how many stars are in the galaxy, while also having a name for each of them. So even though He is perfectly capable of taking care of everything and everyone, why is it still so hard to trust Him?
I wish I could say there was an easier solution to increasing our faith and decreasing our doubt and fear; however, the only way we grow in this area and begin to better understand just how much we can trust Him is through living life and letting Him teach us through our different experiences and situations. In all things, He is working for our good, no matter what it is. We are constantly faced with the decision to trust Him or to trust ourselves, and my prayer is that each of us would learn to fight in His name and His strength. I pray that we would choose to put on the full armor of God, trusting and believing that the battle has already been won due to Christ's death and resurrection.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.”
Ephesians 6: 10-18
Hiking is one of my favorite things. This, again, is a representation of actively trusting something other than ourselves for an expected outcome. Without the reassurances of the white marker on the tree, how would we know that we were on the right trail to the expected destination? This is true in regards to God, as well; however, sometimes we get caught in between markers, questioning if we are on the right path to the right destination. Just as we must continue to go a little bit further on the hike in order to check, we must continue to journey through life with Him, trusting that we are about to approach the next marker.
There is nothing greater that the Lord wants us to understand than the fact that He is in control, He loves us far more than we could ever imagine, and He wants us to solely depend on Him for ALL of our needs. During this current season of growing in my active trust of His goodness and faithfulness, He continues to say to me, "Take me out of the box, and let me blow your mind. With Me, nothing is impossible, and to those who believe, anything is possible." God delights in taking care of us and He wants us to be needy. Just as a parent finds joy in teaching and providing for his child, God, our Father, finds joy in doing the same. This has always been such a hard concept for me to understand because how on earth could such a huge God love a little messed up person like me? Even though I will absolutely never understand why He chose to send Jesus to die for me and this world in order for me to be able to have a relationship with Him, I know I have to accept it and choose to live by faith that He does love me and loves to take care of my every need. God has never failed me thus far in life, so why on earth would He start now?
Friends, my prayer for each of us is that we would choose to trust this truth. Let's put on His armor and walk in His strength, fighting with Him against anything that comes against us. May we live with an expectant heart and actively trust the God of the universe to take care of all of our needs. May we walk in joy, with peace, knowing that He is in complete control of ALL things. Rest in His goodness and faithfulness today. He WILL provide and show up when you least expect it.
“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”