Why trust?

The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence. 2 Samuel 22:3 KJV

Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD. Psalms 4:5 KJV

God’s Word is full of verses telling those who put their faith in God to trust Him.

In fact, the Bible is clear that those who do not choose to trust the Lord are choosing sorrow:

“They shall besiege you at all your gates until your high and fortified walls, in which you trust, come down throughout all your land; and they shall besiege you at all your gates throughout all your land which the LORD your God has given you.” Duet. 28:52 NKJV

“You speak of having plans and power for war; but they are mere words. And in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me? 2 Kings 18:20 NKJV

It is very much like any other relationship we have.

We spend time with someone and they gain our trust through their daily behavior or they loose out trust through the same thing.

The difference with trusting in God is we can not base our opinion of His trustworthiness upon our personal experience.

We are limited as to our understanding, our perspective, our ability to see all frames of history, science, and the spiritual dimension.

God, knows that our ability to understand all of the truths of life, the universe, and spirituality is a tiny fraction of the whole.

Therefore, He put in His Word a command: trust God.

He then backs up why we should do this with story upon story of the lives of those who put their trust in Him as well as some who did not.

Their backgrounds, status, and livelihoods are as different as any group of people across the globe today, but those who put their trust in God are blessed.

Those who do not, are not blessed.

It is that simple.

Of course, our self-important emotions are offended.

“Where does He have the right to choose?”

“Why can’t my good intentions weigh in for something?”

“This isn’t fair!”

But all this means very little.

If you buy a brand-new car and fill the gas tank with olive oil you will ruin your engine.

You can be offended by this.

“Gas is so expensive!”

“I didn’t have any at home, just olive oil.”

“Why did the car maker get to choose what my engine runs on?!”

A gas engine runs on gasoline, because that is how it was designed.

God knows how the universe was crafted, He is the designer and carries authority, but on a much larger scale.

He created it all.

He understands all the parts and pieces.

He knows we need to trust Him.

And once we lay down our self, put our own opinions as secondary, and choose to walk in trusting God, we have an enormous gift.

Responsibility for our lives suddenly becomes a shared burden, the Lord Almighty and us.

What an incredible opportunity to live beside the Lord, simply following His lead and letting Him guide us.

And Who better, than the Creator of the Universe?

If my dishwasher is acting strange I look at the manual or call a repairman from the company who made it.

How much more important it is to read God’s Word and spend time seeking His plans and following through by trusting Him daily.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for the truth that we need to trust You each and every day. Lord, You know it is difficult for us to learn to walk daily in trust. Please help our minds and hearts realize the enormous benefits of trusting You. Lord, let us be humble before You, not prideful, thinking we know what is best. Please continue to lead us, as we walk with You. And for those who have yet to put their trust in You, help them to see what an incredible blessing it is. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

Daily reminders

I purchased this when I thought we were building a new house.

One of the things I wanted to do was fill our new home with scripture.

To have something in every room which would be a daily reminder of Jesus and His neverending love.

We didn’t build.

Instead God moved us out of the area.

But as I was tidying up this morning, I was washing this and reading the words again.

The memory of when and why I purchased it came back.

I so wanted our new house to be full of reminders.

Then I began to look around.

These were separate gifts. One is mine and the other was given to Anne.

My husband bought this about ten years ago and it has always been a blessing and a reminder.

While living with Tim and Sis I bought this at a Good Will Store.

This was a gift from a former student.

This was a Christmas gift from our dear friends.

And it doesn’t stop there.

Each room has something special which brings my heart a tender reminder of the love of Jesus.

I wasn’t able to specifically purchase and plan for this house.

Jesus did.

And I wouldn’t change anything.

Starting over

It’s needed.

My health isn’t permitting me to travel three hours to my doctor.

So, today I start over.

I’ve meet him already, while accompanying my husband.

We both liked him and felt he was a good fit for us.

Therefore, I made an appointment.

Last night I shared with my husband.

“Where do I start? How do I make sure I tell him everything?”

At the time, I thought I was just concerned about accuracy.

But the truth, revealed by the Lord, is…

I’m afraid.

My life has been speckled with medical treatments and I’m not unfamiliar with surgery or doctors.

What I am is embarrassed.

I get to start over, telling someone else all that has occurred in the last year plus.

And it’s uncomfortable.

I don’t like talking about what I am struggling with.

Especially when it comes to my physical condition.

It feels like complaining.

I want to be able to share the necessary information without leaving out how good, how faithful God has been through it all.

As I begin another day and prepare for my appointment, I’m leaning on the Lord.

My prayer for today:

Psalm 19:14 NKJV — Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.

No matter how many changes or new circumstances or times of starting over I walk through, I’m comforted.

Jesus is right here, walking it all with me.

Praise the Lord.

Humbled by His patience

Words escape me.

The Lord Jesus is so faithful.

And I don’t deserve it.

Infact,

I doubt Him.

I argue.

I struggle.

Yet, He’s so faithful, loving, and forgiving.

Not long ago I wrote about a project: a prayer book.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing.

Yet, when the package finally arrived last week,

I choked back tears.

Which my son quickly admonished me,

“No crying, Mom!”

Both of my children couldn’t understand what would possibly be upsetting me.

“Mom, it’s great! I really like it. I’m sure they will love it!”

Anne did her best to cheer me.

I couldn’t explain at the moment.

My emotions were not disappointment in the finished product.

It was embarrassment in my doubting the Lord.

He had told me to do it.

He gave me the words and the creativity to craft it.

He provided the funds to purchase it.

I’d been doubtful, and fearful in the beginning.

Expectant and excited in the process.

Then frustrated and impatient in the end.

Now, I was humbled.

My heart poured out my thanks and regret.

I’m proud of you.

“Lord! I’m truly sorry for not walking with more trust and peace through this process. Please forgive me for my times of doubt and my moments of worry.”

You obeyed Me.

And that was enough.

I’m truly humbled by His working through me.

I’m amazed by His generous grace and mercy.

And He gave me a double portion:

A prayer book for this dear family adding a sweet baby to their lives,

and another opportunity for me to learn.

Because obedience is better than sacrifice.

Praise the Lord!

When things are unsettling

Recently, I received news which was unsettling.

It had come just the day after other unsettling news.

All of which snuffed out my expectations for the next few weeks.

It also led to prayer.

Prayer for others whose lives significantly have changed on very short notice.

My heart poured out to the Lord over this news for the majority of two days.

It was late afternoon, as I was again praying, that I realized my heart had not simply been praying more, I’d also been praising more.

With the emotion of instability had come a deep need to praise God through it all.

I realized God Himself was drawing me to the answers for all the requests.

Praise Him.

Just because I don’t know what the future holds, nor where the path leads, I do know the One Who does.

He’s got everything in His hands and I can praise Him while I wait.

Yes, it’s a temptation to try and plan, make guesses, look for possible options, prepare for…

But why?

It’s all fruitless.

Instead, my time is much better spent in praising God, waiting upon His direction, lifting up those He places on my heart, and doing the task at hand.

Infact, as I settled back into this routine, my unsettling emotions vanished like smoke in the wind.

All my emotions were wrapped in the assurance I have in Christ.

Then came the thoughts.

And I know they didn’t come from God.

Doubt began to whisper an entire string of “what if…”

At first, I didn’t recognize these as the voice of doubt and answered each one.

But gradually I began to see the direction the questions were trying to take my mind.

Which was when I stopped answering and started praising God afresh.

As if a light turned on, and the cock roaches flee, my soul returned to peace.

Doubt went scurrying.

What an incredible, awesome God!

He supplies all my need.

Even when I don’t realize it.

For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright.
Psalms 11:7 NKJV

Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank You for walking with each and every one of us. Thank You for being our rock of refuge. Thank You for holding us when things are unsettling. Lord, we praise Your Holy name as we look to You in all these things. Every circumstance is used by You, for what the enemy meant for evil, You work into our good. Lord, we can not see nor understand all the things which go on, but we can hold fast to Your truths and Your Word. Lord, let our lives shine brightly the love of God. Let our hearts rest securely in Your love. Thank You for being our Salvation and our provision. Please let us bring glory to Your name, Jesus. Thank You.

Supply all…

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19 NKJV

Paul, speaking to the Philippians, was discussing their generous gift and how they had sent support at other times as well.

And then this beautiful truth.

God has said it throughout Scripture.

He is faithful and will supply all.

His works are continual and constant.

So much is beyond our understanding or our knowledge.

Which is why He tells us to trust Him.

When we go scurrying back and forth in a panic, we only cause pain and destroy peace.

When we choose to seek Him and walk in faith, we find everything supplied.

Not always as we desire nor exactly as we expect, but His plans are so much better than anything we can come up with on our own.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:5‭-‬6 NKJV

My prayer for today:

Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank You for always supplying our every need. God, You are incredible. May our lives honor You. Lord Jesus, You understand what we need before we do and You have a perfect plan both for the times of less and the seasons of more. Lord, please help us learn to praise You in every season. Lord, help us to be open to Your voice and quick to respond. Lord, there are so many who still have yet to know You, please draw them to Yourself and use our lives as a testimony. Jesus, please help us to live following Your example. Thank You for all Your provision, may we never lean on our own strength. Thank You, Lord Jesus, thank You.

“…His way is perfect;”

2 Samuel 22:31 KJV — As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.

As for God, His way is perfect.

Can the human mind actually comprehend our perfect God?

Mistakes and messes are ordinary.

Selfishness and stress the usual.

Overloaded and unable the common.

But that is sinful mankind.

When eyes are removed from self and those struggling humans walking along side, God’s perfection becomes easier to see.

Look at a single snowflake.

None of them are the same, yet they are stunningly beautiful.

Pay attention to the miracle of a newborn calf learning to stand and then walk.

No one teaches them how.

See the lacey intricacies of a spider’s web and marvel.

Not all spiders even make webs, but the incredible detail and engineering are astounding.

Ponder the fingerprints of a human.

Not one is reused, every single person’s are unique.

Yes, God is perfect.

Even though sin has entered to ruin both the miracles of creation as well as our relationship with the Creator, He has a solution.

The Savior.

Find true peace and put your trust in the perfection of salvation: Jesus.

Isaiah 43:11 NKJV — I, even I, am the LORD, And besides Me there is no savior.

God can be trusted

It seems silly.

Why write something which is so very logical?

God created the universe and everything in it.

God sent His Son, Jesus, to pay the price for our sin.

Jesus, God-as-man, loves every single one of us.

Of course He can be trusted!

And yet,

my heart has to speak those words.

I have to remind myself of the truth.

Because life doesn’t always work the way I expect.

Pain, sin, struggle, tragedy are all part of living in this fallen world.

During those times I must remember that God can be trusted.

Lately, He has asked me to take it a step further.

Lately, our lives have been one answered prayer after another.

One obvious blessing or direction after another.

It’s almost felt “too good to be true”.

And that’s where God has been asking me to stretch, to trust in a new way.

You see, after all these trials, one on top of another, I’ve begun to become cynical.

I’ve caught myself thinking:

“Well…I wonder what is going to go wrong?”

“This is nice, but are we in over our heads?”

“What if…!?”

And with each thought the Lord speaks.

Can you trust Me?

Yes, Lord! I trust You!

Do you trust Me enough to just live in today?

Ohh, ouch…!

I want to trust like that.

To only do the task at hand without worrying about the next one.

I want to trust God so deeply that I can enjoy the moment without worrying over the mountains in front of me.

The kind of trust which sees a concern or an issue and quietly takes it before my Lord, lays it at His feet, and

waits.

The kind of trust which never fears bad news, because I’m secure in my Lord and Savior.

I’m not there yet.

But, I’m

patiently hopefully learning

all the amazing ways

God can be trusted.

“Do you trust Me?”

(The following is a text I received and it blessed my heart. I wanted to pass it on.)

I am going to bore you with a true story.

There was a missionary who knew he was supposed to go overseas to share the gospel with a people group.

While in prayer, Jesus touched his heart and challenged him like he would never be challenged.

As he prayed he heard the still small voice say “you will not return home you are going to die while in the mission field.”

He had a wife, three daughters and a son at the time.

Those words plagued him as the count down for the trip came.

He would wake up in the middle of the night from dreams of being a martyr.

Everyday he would come up with new reasons why he could not go on the trip

And everyday he would hear the small voice “do you trust Me?”

“Yes” would be the answer “I have faith in You.”

Finally the day came to leave his wife and kids.

They didn’t know it would be the last time they would see him.

They said good bye and he turned to get on the plane.

As he walked down the tarmac, he heard the voice again “do you trust Me?”

“Yes Jesus, I trust You” was the answer.

The realization came at that moment there was a great difference between faith and trust.

One can have faith without trust but it can’t be the other way around.

Trust is where the prayer battle is won.

Do you trust Jesus is in control?

Do you trust even if it does not work the way you feel it should He has the best interest of all concerned parties at hand?

It was almost 14 years ago I walked on that plane and the truth is I did die.

When I met the Satanist, I said, “Jesus, I trust You.”

When the bus was pulled over by security and machine guns were out I said, “Jesus, I trust You.”

Every day is a new day to trust Jesus with your life.

So in this trust He is in control, and have peace that His will is done.

Even when it does not seem to be.