The topic of trusting God has many different components, but this post will focus on the following four aspects: trusting that God answers prayers no matter how big the request may be, how God reminds us to trust Him, remaining faithful in times of joy and hardship, and the ways in which we exhibit our lack of trust.
The power of prayer: what a beautiful place to start :) I am just finishing off book 3 of The Yada Yada Prayer Group book series by Christian author Neta Jackson, and throughout the novels, I have been constantly reminded that my prayer life lacks a certain rigor and fervency that I see in these (yes, fictional) women. When the Yada Yada Prayer Group are faced with a range of severe challenges, the first thing these strong ladies do is turn to the Lord and ask for His help. Although I am an avid prayer, I have a tendency to think and worry about the situation before remembering that I can always turn to God. In a sermon at the Austin Stone on June 6, 2010, guest pastor Halim Suh said, "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we can't see." Halim's definition of faith is spot on - we are fully trusting the Lord when we are confident that our prayers will be answered. Holding back and forgetting to give my burden to God in prayer is a sign that sometimes I forget that God is capable of all things. Ayiesha Wood sings a very powerful song called "Big Enough," that touches on the power of God: "You turned water into wine - how extraordinary, gave sight to the blind - and still I carry my own load when you told me, To take Your yoke ‘cause Yours is easy. And even though my issues seem trivial, You alone are never too imperial, it's just the way that You love me, it's enough to convince me. And I don't wanna box You in, You've been doing big things since the world began, Sometimes I just don't wanna believe, That You're big enough - but You're big enough yeah." He truly is big enough, and I think that we sometimes need to be reminded that He has, indeed, "been doing big things since the world began."
In addition to having confidence in God through our prayers, God's desire for us to trust Him is so strong that He sanctioned one day of every week to be the Sabbath, when we are to rest and be rejuvenated spiritually (Genesis 2:1-3). In Deuteronomy 5:12-15, another purpose for the Sabbath is laid out. "Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you... Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, but the Lord your God brought you out with His strong hand and powerful arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to rest on the Sabbath day." So, the Bible is saying that on this day of rest, we are to be reminded that if victory or success comes into our life, it is because of God, and God alone. The Israelites being lead out of Egypt and into the Promised Land was not because of their own ability, but instead an act of God's "strong hand and powerful arm." In an Austin Stone sermon from November 8, 2009, Pastor Matt Carter talks about how he is able to relax on his Sabbath day by reading the Bible and spending time with the Lord, yet he was experiencing trouble giving up the desire to plan ahead for the following week's service. This drive for future preparation is, in essence, like saying to God, "I don't trust you." I often have struggled with the same issue as Matt; however, because we know that God has "plans to prosper [us] and not to harm [us], plans to give [us] hope and a future," our trust in the Lord should be strong enough for us to fully let go on the Sabbath and to sit in awe at His bigness (Jeremiah 29:11). When we hope for great things, the Bible says that we can be "confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God" (2 Corinthians 3:4-5).
The following statement may just be my opinion, but I find trusting in God far easier to do when life is going smoothly as opposed to when I am faced with trials and tribulations. Luckily, I have not had to deal with anything too grave in my life, with the exception of the year in which I lost three grandparents. Nevertheless, the story of Jesus walking on water in Matthew chapter 14 is something I think about often. The disciples were in a boat when strong winds began to rise and they were facing heavy waves. In the middle of the storm, the disciples see Jesus walking toward them on water, and although they cry out, "It's a ghost," Jesus tells them not to be afraid. He says to them, "The 'I Am' is here." Then Peter calls out to Jesus, "Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water," to which Jesus complied. As Peter steps off the boat, he begins to walk on the water, until he suddenly feels the strong wind and sees the massive waves. Feeling terrified, Peter instantly begins to sink, yelling, "Save me, Lord!" In verse 31, the Bible says that "Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. 'You have so little faith...Why did you doubt me?" This story makes me question what I would do in the same situation. I would absolutely love to say that I would look at the storm and know without a sliver of a doubt that I trusted Jesus, but I am not sure that I wouldn't react more like Peter and feel scared. When the wind and waves were not obvious to Peter, he trusted in God, but when he saw the treacherous weather, his trust wavered. When faced with trials in life, the Bible says that we should not only maintain our trust in the Lord, but that we should also "consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow" (James 1:2-3). Isn't that marvelous? I love trying to reframe negatives and make them into positives, and I feel this verse from James reminds us to do just that.
Lastly, it is important to consider how we, as Christ followers, exhibit a lack of trust in our daily lives. In Francis Chan's book titled Crazy Love, Chan says that by worrying and stressing, we "communicate that it's okay to sin and not trust God because the stuff in [our] life is somehow exceptional. Both worry and stress reek of arrogance. They declare our tendency to forget that we've been forgiven, that our lives are brief, that we are headed to a place where we won't be lonely, afraid, or hurt ever again, and that in the context of God's strength, our problems are small indeed. Why are we so quick to forget God?" In addition, Chan adds that "worry implies that we don't quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what is happening in our lives" (Chapter 2, pg. 41-42). Is that not the truth?! I read this paragraph, reread it, and read it again. I worry far too much, and I know that instead of stressing over something I am not in control of, I should do as Philippians 4:6 tells me, and "...not worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all He has done." This ties back perfectly to the first application, trusting that God answers our prayers.
I genuinely hope that the issues and verses in this post are applicable to others' lives in addition to mine. I pray that our trust in the Lord's 'bigness' continues to grow stronger, that our prayers become more powerful, that we remember our future is in God's hands, that we will be able to trust in God in both good times and bad, and that instead of worrying and stressing, that we find peace in knowing that "in the context of God's strength, our problems are small indeed."
I love worship music :) So I thought I'd share my recommendation for this week. Chris Tomlin and Christy Nockels: "Our God Reigns" (starts at 4:31)
In His name,
Ailee
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."
Proverbs 3:5-6
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