If you follow my posts, you may have noticed I missed a week of writing.  I had begun to write about my son’s upcoming wedding, but then I took ill, and last week’s article didn’t happen.  All this week, I wondered what to write.  Should I finish what I began last week?  No; it didn’t feel right.  I sat still, waiting for inspiration, but there was nothing.  A possible topic flitted through my mind.  Again, no.  I then wondered if I should just repost my article about writer’s block.  No, that wasn’t it either.  So, I prayed and asked God what I should write.  This was His answer: “Do you trust me?”

Off and on for the past week or so, I have been thinking about and grappling with whether I truly trust God.  Am I a fair-weather Christian, or will I trust Him at all times, in all circumstances?  Will I trust Him in the little things as well as the monumental?  Will I trust Him all through life and even to the death?  Will I remain faithful, steadfast, unmoved?  Do I actually trust Him like I think I do?

Fear seems to be a factor.  I want to say I trust Him.  I have demonstrated in the past that I did.  But do I now?  Will I always?  And why would I not?  Whose vision am I going to trust?  My shortsighted vision which is limited to what is right in front of me, or the vision of the One who sees the end from the beginning and everything in between, whose vision is eternal?

There is no need to fear trusting Him.  On the contrary, trusting in Him will remove a huge load from us.  When we commit our lives to Him, He will take care of us.  Just as the Bible tells us Abraham trusted God and went forward despite being unaware of where he was ultimately going, so we, too, should trust in God’s plans and promises to get us where we need to go.¹ God created the world, and He created us.  He has things well in hand.

He will guide our steps even when there are obstacles in our paths.  We can trust Him step by step, day by day.  He is working all around us, sometimes seen and sometimes unseen.  He works on a future timeline beyond our scope, with a path laid out for us which we cannot even begin to conceive. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be u­tterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand.”² Thus, we can step out in faith, knowing He is holding us securely in the palm of His hand. He will lead us safely home. 

“We do not need to know everything today; we just have to trust that He has our best in mind. We can find a resting place for our bodies, minds, souls, and faith in the safety of His hands. We can place the details of our lives in His capable hands. We can place the recesses of our vulnerable hearts in His loving hands. We can place our trust in Him because of His unfailing hands. He never fails, never breaks His promises, and will never let go of us.”³

So, am I going to place my trust in people, or in my own limited skills, intellect, ingenuity, strength, and resources; or am I going to place my trust in the One who has proven Himself trustworthy?  He fights for His people.  He provides for every need.  He does not fail nor forsake His own.  He has all power and authority, and by Him all things subsist.  His wisdom is infinite.  He is a God of purpose.  He is working for my good and His glory. The bad and the ugly from this world of sin can be transformed into something beautiful by His hand.  He triumphs over evil.  He is good, and He does what is good.

Such great knowledge of this great God can give us the ability to trust, and trusting Him will bring peace. There is no need to fret; He can handle the details.  I don’t need to force my hand; I can just place it in His.  He is God.

I know what I will answer Him now.

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Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.⁴

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NOTES

¹ See Hebrews 11:8.

² Psalm 37:23–24

³ Francee Strain, No Ordinary Invitation: Called to Live a Life of Eternal Purpose, (Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press, 2017), 116.

⁴ Proverbs 3:5–6

©Text and photo Francee Strain, October 10, 2021

Scriptures taken from the New King James Version of the Holy Bible, ©1982 by Thomas Nelson.