Trusting God

One of the most wonderful things about God is His patience with us. Very often we want instant answers to our prayers, but we forget that God is doing something amazing behind the scenes during the time of apparent silence. We forget that the Master Sculptor is removing all that mars the image of His Son in us. We have been predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son. Romans 8:29.

The question is not only can we trust Him, but do we trust Him?

Firstly, can we trust Him?

Can we trust the One who spoke this phenomenal universe into being? Can we trust the One who is holding it all together? Can we trust the One who formed man and breathed into him the breath of life? The Psalmist stated we are 'fearfully and wonderfully made' and this is confirmed as science continues to reveal how complex the human body is. Even atheist scientists are conceding more and more that these complexities point to an Intelligent Designer. Just this week, I read that scientists are becoming increasingly confident that there is life after death due to results of clinical death experiments. A statement from another scientific article states: Cognitive scientists are becoming increasingly aware that a metaphysical outlook may be so deeply ingrained in human thought processes that it cannot be expunged. Read article here. Of course, the believer does not need to wait for scientific proof before embarking on the remarkable journey of a life with God, but it is interesting that science is challenging atheistic claims. As a believer, I am satisfied that I can trust such a One. But do I trust Him?

This verse in Proverbs 3 (Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding) does not suggest abandoning our reason and throwing careful planning to the wind. If we have committed our lives into the hands of the Almighty, then we are to trust His leading, even when it doesn't appear to make sense. It is my experience that we often only realize with hindsight the purpose of a particular trial or temptation. We have many areas of weakness which need strengthening, and it is in those times we learn to recognize the fiery darts of the enemy and how to defend ourselves skillfully. When we truly want to do God's will, we will have much opposition, but this is to be expected. Sometimes the opposition can come from other believers; we need to be building one another up, not tearing one another down! Sometimes our own families, who may not be believers, do not understand God's leading in our lives. Be patient dear believers!

Am I prepared to trust God and say, 'Your will be done?' This does not guarantee a smooth road, but we can be certain of His help and presence on the way. We will have times like Peter when he stepped out of the boat, looked at the choppy waves around him and started to sink in fear, but the Lord's strong hand rescued him. Perhaps the experience of Elijah will be ours; after his great victory on Mount Caramel, he fled in fear and asked the Lord to take his life because he had 'had enough'. However, in those moments of despair, God sent an angel with food to strengthen him physically and then spoke to him with a still small voice, reassuring him he had reserved 7000 faithful believers in Israel. The apostle Paul found himself in many perilous situations, but he could testify to Timothy, 'God stood with me and gave me strength.' The Bible is full of broken, human stories made miraculous through the Divine touch of mercy and grace. Do we trust our God? May we trust Him more! As Paul wrote: being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6

God bless you!