Will I Trust God or Not?
My dear husband travels often for business, usually flying out several times a month. He has been doing this for years and I’m used to it. It’s not a hardship for me, although it was more challenging when we had small children. I was thinking about this recently and realized that it would indeed be very stressful for me if I had any doubt whatsoever about my husband’s trustworthiness. If I did not trust him, his frequent absences would cause me great anxiety.
So if I wasn’t sure what he was doing while away on a trip, I might expend energy calling him unexpectedly or checking up on him in other ways. If I wasn’t confident in his love and care for me, I would worry when he occasionally failed to call. I might wonder what he was doing or who he was with. It would turn the inconvenience (of having him away) into a great trial.
What makes all the difference? My trust in him.
So, the analogy doesn’t translate exactly, (since my husband is not God 🙁 )- but when I am not trusting God in my difficult situations, they are bigger and heavier. I try to control, I worry and fret. But when I do place my trust in Him to ultimately work His good purposes in my life, I have peace.
Right now I am facing some tough circumstances in my extended family. My parents are aging and decisions need to be made. Not everyone agrees on the course of action to be taken, and I may end up making some people mad. Another factor is my distance from them and that I can only be there occasionally.
I have found myself mulling over lots of “what if” scenarios. What will I do if this person opposes me? How will I react if that person spreads lies about me? I have been indulging in fretting and worry, and that’s unusual for me. But I also haven’t faced this kind of circumstance before.
Matthew 6:27 tells us:
Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
Or, I might add, change anything just by worrying about it? Of course not! Elsewhere in Matthew we are admonished not to worry. It seems to be my natural tendency to want to figure this all out, to imagine how I can control or react to the troubles I face. But we are told instead to trust God. We must remind ourselves of truth: that we can run to Abba, Father. He loves us with an everlasting love. He is a good and perfect Father. We must believe that He’s got this!
I was talking to a dear friend about my situation and I heard myself say, “Am I going to trust God or not? Yes, I am. I’m going to trust Him with this situation.” And I meant it. But the next day I was thinking about it again and worrying.
Isaiah 26:3 says:
You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you
This is a promise for me and for you!
God will give me perfect peace as I place my trust in Him alone, not on my own strategy or plan of action. We must remember what is true and remind ourselves daily. He will help you not be faint as you run the race God has laid out for you today.
Hebrews 4:15-16 tells us that Jesus is our High Priest, who has been tempted just as we are and so can empathize with our weaknesses. We’re told that as we draw near to Him, He will give us grace in our time of need.
Lord, that’s what I need! I need Your grace to help me when I’m weak and tempted to fret and worry. I need Your peace and the reminders to keep my thoughts fixed on You. Help me to draw near to You and believe that You’ve got this well in hand.
What makes all the difference between fear and peace? My trust in him.
