Proverbs 3:5(KJV);
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding.”
Trusting God, that is so easy when everything is going well; when we are blessed, healthy and prosperous. The problem arises when there is trouble; when we are sick or when facing storms, going through the fire, facing the valley of the shadow of death or hitting rock bottom.
I had a perfect plan for my life and tried to control how things were to turn out. I hate surprises, whether good or bad because it means I have no control. I like working with a plan and that means anything that doesn’t make sense to me, I toss it away. But when God came into my life, He “messed” up all my plans and turned my life upside down literally.
I had a difficult time with that. Its easy trusting when there’s a plan, when there’s logic but it’s a different script when the only thing you have is obedience and surrender, and it’s worse when these don’t make sense at all. I “argued” with Him a lot, I still do. Sometimes, I tried negotiating with Him but that didn’t work. It was until I surrendered that I learned to let Him take the wheel.
There’s a simple song we used to sing as kids;
“Trust and obey,
For there’s no other way,
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.”
That song is so simple yet powerful. However, most of us struggle with that because like me, many of us prefer trusting something tangible, logical or a plan. We seem hopeless when none of these is available. But that’s how the world operates. God’s kingdom on the other hand, doesn’t operate like that.
The Christian life is about faith and that faith requires that you simply trust and obey. Period.
When you trust God, you don’t need to understand. If you’re in Christ and fully surrendered, trust the process for He knows the beginning to the end. Have this attitude, that no matter what I see, feel or go through, I’ll choose faith.
All of us have gone through storms or have hit rock bottom in our lives. Maybe we are going through one right now.
I personally love the story of Lazarus in John 11:1–43. Every time I go through stormy waters or when doubts come and I begin to question God’s love for me, I am reminded of this Scripture.
John 11:5(MSG)
[5] Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, but oddly, when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed on where he was for two more days.”
John 11:5( Amplified Bible)
5. Now Jesus loved and was concerned about Martha and her sister and Lazarus [and considered them dear friends].
Often, when we go through stormy waters in our lives, we are quick to conclude that God doesn’t care about us or love us. We quickly plead with Him to get us out as quickly as possible. But in John 11:5, it clearly says that because Jesus loved and cared about Lazarus, He stayed two more days. Just because you’re going through storms, it doesn’t mean God doesn’t love or care about you. If you are basing His love on the circumstances of your life, you’re basing and looking for His love in the wrong places.
Sometimes, we forget that as much as He is well able to get us out, He is also able to go with us and hold our hands through the storms. The Psalmist says that even when we go through the fires, the valley of the shadow of death, He is right there with us.
He never said it will be easy but He promises to be there.
So, how do you trust God in the midst of storms?
By faith. Believe that He is working behind the scenes, have faith that all things work for your good. Believe that nothing that happens to you ever takes Him by surprise. If He knows the number of hair in your head, something that appears minor, won’t He be even more concerned and aware of the storm you are in? Above all else, He is God and He knows everything.
Hebrews 11:1(MSG)
[1](1–2) The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.
Trusting God boils down to love. Remember, God is love. Everything about Him, everything He does, love is at the center. You can’t trust someone you don’t love.
When you fully surrender to Christ and trust Him, even storms come, you’ll be still knowing that He is God.
Ephesians 2:7(MSG)
[7] Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all His idea, and all His work. All we do is trust Him enough to let Him do it.”
When my only brother died, I was devastated. I had talked with him the previous night and he was perfectly fine. I got this sad news when I had just come from the prayer mountain where I had breakthrough and felt the presence of God. My spiritual antenna were super high that day. When I got this news, I was “mad” at God. Why would He take away my only brother and why didn’t He do anything to stop his death and why now, when I had just had an amazing experience in His presence.
For a moment, my anger spoke loudly. I didn’t want to hear anything about Him. But God is such a loving Father, He will meet you right where you are. God so lovingly embraced me throughout the entire process and my heartbreak. And in the aftermath, when I was overwhelmed by grief and thought I couldn’t come out of it, I told Him to take the wheel.
And at that moment, God has never spoken to me so loudly and clearly in my entire life like He did that day. Nothing can ever change my mind or make me doubt the fact that He is always right there beside us, through whatever we go through, whether we feel it or not.
God assures us that He will never leave us nor forsake us till the end of time. And God isn’t a man that He should lie. Whatever storm you face, don’t allow the devil to win by doubting that God loves and cares so much about you. He loves you so much that He your name is engraved at the palm of His hands.
If you’re going through stormy waters, the fire and rock bottom situations, let the words from Even if by MercyMe encourage you.
Trusting God doesn’t however mean you don’t make plans or have goals, it means letting Him be the driver and you, the passenger. Remember, faith without works is dead.
If trusting God is a sign of weakness, then let me be weak. If trusting God means Him messing up my plans and turning things upside down, let Him do it. He is the Alpha and omega of my life, the author and finisher of my faith.
Prayer;
Jesus help us to trust that you’re at work even when we can’t see you.
Amen.
