Having been in a tight place of late, I am confronted by the question "What does it mean to trust God?" Surely I'm not trusting Him when I am expecting Him to do what I want. Nor when I believe that He knows what is best in a given situation, but then again, so do I. Nor again when I tell Him to have His way, and then get frustrated that it's not the way I would have done it. Ever feel like that? We tend to have a very self-centered definition of trust. At least I do.

What, then, is trust? Have you ever noticed that real trust, the kind that lets God do whatever He wants because we know He is good and kind and righteous and smart, hurts? It's ripping out of our hearts the deeply-embedded wishes for our loved ones and handing them over . . . and then watching what He does, with thankful hearts. Ouch. I can't do that without Him, and I suspect, you can't either. Do you trust me? Honestly, Lord, no. You know that I do not. Help me in my unbelief.

It would help if we had an inkling of what kind of God we are attempting to trust. Psalm 103 tells us. All of God's Word tells us, because that's why He gave it--to reveal Himself to us so we might trust Him. When we are struggling with trusting God, we need to run, not walk, to the nearest Bible and hear what He has to say about Himself. Is He a God that can be trusted? Read Job 38-41, and especially 42:1-6. Is He a God who loves our loved ones? Read Psalm 103 (again--it's good!), Psalm 139, and Ephesians 1. Is He powerful enough to help? Read Psalm 29. Does He even want to help? Read Romans 8:31-39.

And then hand it all over. Make the cut, rip it out, and hand it over. Oh sure, it hurts. Surgery without anesthesia always does. But it hurts less than carrying that rock of care and worry around in your head, throat, and chest endlessly.

And be free . . . free to do that to which God has really called you.

What are your stories of trusting God? And what can you add to these thoughts?
Jean Opelt