Learning to Trust

Trust. It seems so simple. It’s not. At the New Year, our pastor challenged us to come up with a new year’s "be" goal. That’s something we would try to shape in our character. Something that would help us to draw closer to God and others. An attribute that needed to be strengthened through prayer, focused effort, and meditation. So, my 2015 "be" goal was this: Choose Trust.

As I prayed I found myself being drawn back to this word. Trust. In my mind I could hear the numerous times my husband had implored me to trust him: to handle a situation, to provide for our family, to meet my needs. Trust me. I also hear the numerous times he has told me to trust God.  It’s not easy because it means letting go and relinquishing control. It’s hard to admit that I struggle to trust God because I shouldn't. I believe he has saved me from the consequences of my sin and I will spend eternity with him, but sometimes the big picture gets lost in the details, and the clear vision gets muddied by the traffic of life.

Do I trust God to provide for us on a daily basis? Do I trust God to change my heart and help me to be more patient and kind to my husband and son? Do I trust God to heal me? In a world of instant gratification, trusting God is hard because God refuses to prove Himself in an instant. Looking back, I can see how God has provided for us when money was scarce and it helps me to trust him now when we get slammed with unexpected bills and expenses. I can see how God has healed my body over the past year and is restoring me to health, and I feel more confident trusting Him to heal me in the future. I can see that I have become more patient and gracious towards my family members, and even though I still have work to do, I believe I can do it with God’s help.

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit.”

-        Jeremiah 17:7-8

A tree planted by water has access to all the nourishment it needs at all times. It doesn’t fear a lack of rain because it has easy access to water above and below the surface of the earth. Trees take a long time to grow. Their roots are tenacious, and will seek out sources of water with persistence that will crack concrete and destroy foundations. Trusting God is like opening our souls to His constant and consistent feeding. He gives us nourishment, and answers our faith and trust with his never ending promise to make us new, and to be with us always. By receiving God’s care, we grow. When we receive and acknowledge His provision and care, rejoice and give thanks over it, we grow stronger day by day until the foundations of doubt are broken in our hearts and what is left is the never failing love of God.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
  in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.

-        Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust is hard when God’s ways are so different than the world’s ways. God’s definition of success is measured in eternity, not years. Paths are not made straight overnight. They take time, and it takes diligence and faith to continually submit to God. But it is worth it to see His faithfulness to our efforts, and to know that He hears our prayers, and answers us in His time.