Trusting God...really trusting God!

How many times do we behave in one way, actually the opposite to the way we know we should be acting? Its not necessarily always sin...but almost every time it leads to a negative result. I am guilty of this as much as the next one...and it can range from things as simple as eating unhealthy food to not listening to Gods guidance in my circumstances.

Recently this whole concept of trusting God has become really prominent for me. Almost everywhere I go and everything I do, I find myself confronted with variations of this message. With this I have been reflecting more and more on this topic...trying to apply it in my life. When I say trying, I say this because I have been doing quite badly so far.

Lately things havent been going as I planned or hoped. This doesnt relate to one thing alone, but its an accumulation of things. One thing that stands out from that last sentence is the words "as I planned or hoped". I feel these are the words that I should be focusing on...I feel these are the words that God is shining the spotlight.

As I contemplate this, I always come back to one specific piece of scripture that I have always felt quite relevant for my life, that being James 4:13-17 where it states the following:

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

I know thats a big piece of scripture to be referring to, but it really encapsulates the message that I know in my heart...but I struggle to apply in my life. I like to have a plan, a focus, something to strive towards. But sometimes, I can get to far ahead of myself, I dont leave room for God to work in my life and ultimately my plans become exactly that...my plans alone.

Or maybe sometimes it just simply I get impatient...I try to move things along by my own strength...but again this is another warning flag! Remember the words to the Planetshakers song "through you I can do anything, I can do all things, cos its you who gives me strength, nothing is impossible!". This is exactly the point...through God we can do anything...but when we try to do things alone, by our own strength...we ultimately mess things up. We may thing that we are on the right path, but in the end we find ourselves lost and alone. There is one verse in Proverbs that makes a point of this, in chapter 14, verse 12:

There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

I guess you can say its like we get overconfident...like a young child who races ahead of their parents...we can sometimes behave like this with God. He puts a dream in our hearts, and when we get a glimpse...we race towards it...but this is not what our Lord intends for us. He doesnt want it to just be about the destination, He wants us to experience and enjoy the journey! I emphasis the word enjoy because sometimes we miss this point. The journey is there to be enjoyed, that in no way means its going to be a stroll in the park, there will be significant hurdles along the way. But just as I enjoy working out in the gym, pushing my body past the point of pain...we must push forward with Christ. It is then that we can walk with the confidence that no matter how we feel or what we see, we are walking according to the plans of Christ.

One of my favourite men from the Bible encompasses this entirely, Joseph! He had a dream from God, a dream that was so far fetched and so distance...but he believed in what God had shown him. From there he trusted God and despite some of the most horrible circumstances, he walked forward boldly with praise for God. In the end he was triumphant and his dream came true! But think for a second if in any of his situation, had he acted according to what he thought was the right thing instead of trusting God...we can be pretty sure things wouldnt have worked out for him in the end.

Actually when we try to do things in our lives by our own strength, its like we are ignoring God or telling Him we dont trust His word. For as Jesus says to us in Matthew 6:31-34 -

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 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.

By pushing our own agenda, we are ignoring what God has spoken to us. This means we dont trust Him...and that is detrimental to our walk!

Therefore we must learn to surrender it all before Jesus...then we know that we are trusting God 100%. Without letting go and giving up control over our lives, we are still holding onto things, I guess you can refer to them as safety nets. We have the mentality that we believe God to an extent, but just in case He doesnt come through, then we have our own back up plan. But by holding onto that safety net, we are ultimately limiting the amazing impact God can have in our lives!

Therefore we must learn to let go of it all and just put our faith in Jesus alone. We must take that step forward into the unknown...but the awesome promise is that God will not leave us. We must just lean on Him, bring our concerns to Him and constantly be in prayer. This is summarised in Philippians 4:6-7 where we read:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I must not live by what I feel any longer...I must not live by what I see any longer. But instead I must surrender it all to Jesus...no longer live my life according to what my emotions are telling me. But instead Im just going to trust...100%...not partial trust where I still have my back up safety nets. Its going to be a challenge...but I have the power through my Lord!

Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary. 

(Isaiah 40:31)