Trust

Donald Miller in his book Scary Close, references a conversation with a friend who brings justice to the victims of human trafficking, or merchants of drugs, etc... This man told Donald that the thing these perpetrators had in common was distrust. There is a lot of crazy that happens when people don't trust each other, and even more bizarre when they don't trust God.

We know in our heads that we should and can trust Him, but when life gives us an Abraham situation where we need to leave home with no idea where we are going, or it feels like God is holding out on the promise He gave us, it can be tough.

It’s even more complicated when a situation comes along that makes it feel like God betrayed you. He didn’t, but some events can set you spinning in some crazy ways. This stuff is real.

This has been the summer when God has earned trust back. He didn’t need to do anything to change the lies I was believing cause it was my problem, not His, but over and over, God has touched and healed things that were sore points. I am falling in love all over again with the One who continues to love unconditionally.

In Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby states that what God really wants is a love relationship with Him. This resonates with my personal experience. And when we love someone, we generally trust them. So if we can trust God, we love Him. If we say we love Him, we should be able to say we trust Him. Not trying to be confusing, but love and trust are intertwined.

So maybe like Abraham, you have gotten a word from God and are waiting for more instructions. But you can't act, because it's going to be on God's "to do" list, not yours. When it's out of our control, that's when it feels the hardest to trust.

Or maybe it's closed doors. Possibly a whole series of them. And you wonder when is the right door going to open? This takes trust stretched thin and still believing.

Can we find the space of love enough in our hearts to keep us trusting? Resting on His promises, and enjoying His love is the only way I can get through this murky journey of trust. I have to remind myself that the whole point of the story is walking with God, and enjoying the relationship, not what I do. Maybe that is why we find ourselves in the middle of this quandary in the first place.

If you struggle with trust, just remember the common bond of criminals is their lack of trust. I don't think you want to turn to their illicit ways of running their world because they trust no one.

Maybe you have to remind yourself like I do that I am on a journey of faith. Once upon a time, I had enough faith to call my blog Journey of Faith. What changed? It wasn't God...Here's to digging deeper into faith! In the pregnant pauses of life, waiting for whatever is next, search out His love and trust Him more than the days when faith came easily.

The real punch line on this faith thing though comes in the book of Job. He said, "Even though He slay me, yet will I trust in thee." What he didn't know was it was Satan, not God who was messing with him. And God had told Satan that he couldn't take Job's life. Are we willing to trust God even if it appears He is taking our life? Can we give God the benefits of the doubt and still believe? That's what I'm aiming for, regardless of whether the end of the story is blessed like Job or not.