Trusting God sounds simple enough. After all, what do we know about God? We know He created the universe. That He created us to love Him and love each other. That He is all knowing, all seeing and that above all He is good! He loves us, cares for us, and does not desire to harm us. This is all in the book.
If anyone has earned our trust, it is God. So why do I find it so hard sometimes to fully put my trust in Him? Two weeks ago I was having major trust issues. My finances were not lining up the way I wanted them to. My job was not going the way I wanted it to. My marriage was not flowing the way I wanted it to. All of these things that were not going my way were causing me to turn my frustration toward God. I was angry because I felt like I had been a good boy, done and said the right things, I had been faithful in giving and going to church and not cussing (at least not much) and so I had held up my end of the bargain. Why then was God not holding up his?
Then I started noticing a pattern, every lesson I studied in quiet time, every sermon I heard on the radio, even the subject of study at my men's group were all hitting on the same theme, courage. The men's group was studying Ephesians Ch. 6 where Paul tells the church at Ephesus to "put on the full armor of God". The breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, most importantly the shield of faith. You don't put on armor unless you are going into battle and if you are going into battle you better have courage and courage covered by faith. Two different radio ministries were discussing the story of Paul's shipwreck on his way to Rome which is told in Acts Ch. 27. It is Paul, the prisoner, who stands up bravely and tells his shipmates that not a one shall perish even though the ship is to be run aground. Courage covered by Faith. Our family night movie was "Courageous." Police officers who overcome tragedy and challenge themselves to be the best fathers they can be, to do what is right no matter the cost. Courage covered by Faith.
Finally through prayer and listening, I started to catch on. My God, who meets every need, who guards me like a lioness, who loves me with boundless love I cannot comprehend, had not abandoned me. He had not even left my side for a second. He just wanted me to trust Him. Did you see a pattern to the problems I mentioned earlier? I was upset because things were not going MY way. My circumstances were not working out the way I wanted them to. Guess what? Things don't have to go my way, they only need to go God's way because God is enough! So it was up to me to trust God and let him work out the details. Now what does this have to do with courage? That, my friend, is where I had my revelation. See, it takes a courageous man to fully and utterly surrender to God. If there is one thing guys hate, it is giving up control. We want to be behind the wheel, we want to choose the restaurant, and we want our hands on the remote! But God wants, and deserves, our trust. Once I began to relate courage to surrender and bravery to trust, my mind was put right. My heart softened. I was back in my Fathers arms, such an awesome place to be.
Needless to say, things started getting better. I had peace, my relationships improved, my finances were blessed. Most importantly I grew closer to God, hearing Him in a stronger way. Connecting with Him with a freshness in my spirit. I can't wait to see what happens next.
My bottom line: Until you surrender to God, you are not ready for the fight. Put on his armor, and hold on tight.
"I have said these things to you that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation but take heart, I have overcome the world." -John 16:33
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