Trust Him Now

When I was in high school, my parents encouraged me to participate in the True Love Waits rally our church was promoting.  You may have heard of it.  TLW was a program which challenged teenagers to make a decision to avoid sexual intimacy before marriage.  It wasn't just an idea to put in kids' heads, but an intentional path for choosing to make wise decisions ahead of time.  We were told if you wait to make the decision about having sex or not until you are in the back seat of a car or home alone, your body may win out over your head.  You make a clear decision when you are thinking rationally and not in the moment when the emotions are running wild.

I think the same idea can be applied to our spiritual lives.  As children or even as adults when all seems right in the world, it is easy to say, "I trust you, God, and I will follow You."  But what happens when the hard times come.  You may have a really bad fight with your husband or wife.  You may have a child who just seems to enjoy disobeying more than obeying.  You may hear your mom tell you she has cancer.  You may get a call saying your dad has had a heart attack.  You may live in a nation which sees right as wrong and wrong as right.  What then?  Do you trust God?

My parents did give me a wonderful upbringing in church, but my spiritual walk with God took a few u-turns in college.  Thankfully, I had a desire to begin attending Bible Study Fellowship once I graduated and moved back home.  In studying the Bible, God grew my faith in Him as I read of many people, Moses, Peter, Isaiah, Abraham and Sarah, regular people like me who simply trusted Him.  I wanted that and so I began to trust Him.  Would I find a job?  Was Matthew the man I should marry? Should I begin working at the church?  Would we have a baby after trying for a year?  Would we have another child after months of praying again?  Should we homeschool our children?  Should we trust God with the number of children He may give us?  

When thinking back over those questions, especially the last one, a little bit of fear stirs up in my heart, but God has every time proven Himself to be faithful.  When I truly said in my heart, "God, whatever You make happen will be best," His grace and peace always quickly followed.  Sometimes the big trust moments come easier when you give Him all the little trust moments first.

God, if you want us to make it to the movie on time, we will.  God, if You want us to have these friends over for dinner, they won't have plans already.  God, please tell me if we should keep our dog or give her away.  God, direct me to the homeschool conference sessions which would most bless my family.  

The decision is now yours to make.  Will you trust God?  In the little things?  In the big things?  

When I miss my Dad, I trust Jesus knowing He has told me, "The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die." (John 11: 25-26)  When I wonder what this world will be like 10 or 20 years from now, I trust Jesus remembering that He said, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:33-34)  

For all the day to day things I could make myself sick worrying about, I try not to.  Some days it's easier than others.  Some days, I pretty much completely fail.  But other days, I trust Him.  I hope you can trust Him now too.  

This verse is on a wall in my home. I can't think of a circumstance which it doesn't fit.