I have to be honest; trust is a difficult thing for me. I would much rather have full control of what is happening, or going to happen, in my life, rather than trusting that God is in control. I like to “know” exactly what is coming, and I like to determine the steps being taken. I like plans. I like lists.
The thing about trust is that you never fully arrive. You may easily trust God in some areas, but then in other areas you may have a hard time letting go.
For me, I found it much easier to trust that God was going to see us through last year with the birth of our twin baby girls. When the doctors were delivering all these negative statistics, we had an immense amount of trust that God was in control. Yet, these past two months have been immensely difficult finding the same intensity of trust; as it relates to moving and finding a new home. I suppose the previous situation was more than we could handle ourselves, therefore trusting was the ONLY option.
If there is one thing I have learned this year, it is that God often leaves out the blueprints. He speaks the language of trust, or maybe a more appropriate word would be faith. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
I find this to be a theme actually, of my life, and of many people’s lives.
With Abraham, God made a promise (Genesis 17) … BUT he did not say how or when.
With David, God crowned him king (1 Samuel 16) … BUT he did not specify when or how.
With Peter he gave him the charge to build the church (Matthew 16:18) … BUT he did not specify how, when or with what funds.
With us? Well, we have been given the charge to expand his Kingdom in the Northeast… BUT like many others, we have no detailed plan.
Much of 2014 and 2015 have been about trust and faith that God will see us through. I am constantly reminded of the passage in Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
But here is the secret … Hebrews 12:2 says, “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…” God is the author and finisher of our faith. The real lesson for me has been fixing my eyes on Him (the author) and not on how much longer I have to hang on to “faith”. You see, God doesn’t ask us to blindly trust, he asks us to look at Jesus. Fixing our eyes on Jesus changes things. It makes us more aware of the possibilities. It magnifies the opportunities and diminishes the limitations. It produces courage and compassion. It changes us.
So here is my encouragement today, fix your eyes on Jesus. Look at him and only him. Allow Jesus to produce in you what is needed for this season in your life. Trust is a journey and we are on this journey together.
