It seems then, that saying “trust me” is a great way to
ensure that people don’t. But that is
not always true.
When a loving father says “trust me” to his child, he actually
means it. The first time he says “Jump
into the pool with me – I will catch you,” the child refuses, justifiably
afraid. With some reassurance they
eventually take the leap. Water goes up
the nose, hair sticks to the face, sinking, flailing, dying, terror; then the
father’s arms wrap around and lifts them clear, wipes the face and they laugh. He earned trust, and the child took the first
step toward independence and safety in water.
The second jump is less stressful, the third is fun, and thereafter the
child wants to keep going long after Dad is tired.
How do we take it when God says “trust me”?
It is easy to trust Him with eternal life – it’s a little
abstract and we don’t really have a good grip of it anyway. It is far harder to trust Him with everyday
crises like health, children and job security.
Why is it so hard? Largely
because not everything in life goes my way, so I am a little skeptical.
God, as the infinite, almighty, sovereign is clearly able to
keep his promises. But which ones? The Bible is full of verses that believers extract
and hang onto, almost as talismans. But
more careful reading of the whole scripture indicates that some of these
passages are specifically speaking to a given time, people and place making it
unwise to take them personally.
However, God is good, meaning he will not cause bad things
to happen to you. But sometimes his idea
of “good” differs from ours. Like the
father described above, He knows that something like jumping into water the
first time is distinctly unpleasant – but it is actually a good thing.
So what! What does He
care? He creates a universe that is
unbelievably large, complex and intricate by speaking a few words. He scrapes His fingernail across the desert
and makes the Grand Canyon. He drives every
particle running around inside every molecule, and these are so small we have
to build trillion dollar machines in mountains to kinda sorta image them. And then I am just one insignificant person
among 7 billion on the planet. How big
is a billion anyway? That is the part I
struggle with.
Yet scripture repeatedly emphasizes that indeed, God
personally loves each individual.
So when He says to me “trust me,” He means it. And I am best served by saying “yes Lord,”
even when it seems goofy and especially when I can’t control things. Trust is a distinctly personal activity, and
the amazing thing is that God, despite being infinite, is also the most
intimate person around.
There are some interesting examples of trust in the bible –
Abraham told to sacrifice the son of promise, Peter singing in jail, Paul
writing his happiest letter – also in jail.
All of whom end up as heroes of the faith because of their trusting
obedience, and only because of it. It
all seems to hang on:
·
Do what you can in conformity with scriptural
principals· Work on the one-on-one relationship with God
· Let go the stuff you can’t control – and trust Him
Therein is way less panic and stress. Like the pool analogy, when He rescues you from drowning the first time, it’s a whole lot easier the second…
My theme song this week?
“Trust me – I am God.”
Proverbs
3:5-6Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
-6- In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
