When life goes out of control, such as we have today, trusting God becomes really hard. There are all kinds of “What if?” scenarios. What if I lose my job? What if I can’t pay the bills? What if I catch the virus? What if run out of food and supplies?
Rather than trusting God who promises to be faithful to me, I am tempted to trust in my own ability to navigate my current circumstances. When that happens, I usually end up feeling really anxious, burdened, and like it is the end of the world. So how can I learn to trust in God even when life is really hard and confusing? Here are five biblical strategies that can be deployed at any time. Trusting God Strategy #1: LEAN NOT ON MY OWN UNDERSTANDING “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5) When overwhelmed, burdened, and battered by life’s circumstances, the temptation is to trust in self rather than the Lord. Sinful self-sufficiency is hardwired into us. The belief is that if we can devise the right strategy and smart moves, we can get through life on our own. By our wit and grit. Of course, the painful reality is that we’re not smart enough to navigate the dangerous shoals of life. We don’t have the wisdom to successfully weave through all the hazards of life. God’s Word calls us to trust in Him with all our heart and to not lean one iota on our own understanding. When tempted to fear and doubt and worry, God calls us to abandon our own understanding of the situation and trust Him completely. The simple reality is that we don’t know all the glorious things God is doing in and through our circumstances. John Piper wrote: “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them…Not only may you see a tiny fraction of what God is doing in your life; the part you do see may make no sense to you.” Things might not make sense, but God knows exactly what He’s doing. Trusting God starts with not leaning on our own understanding and trusting God with ALL our heart. Trusting God Strategy #2: RUN TO THE THRONE OF GRACE “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16) What an awesome and powerful promise this is. The Bible is so open and honest. It clearly acknowledges that there will be times of need. There will be times when we are brought low. Brokenhearted. In tears. Feeling absolutely bewildered by everything going on around us. Fearful. Scripture never makes life to be all roses and peaches. The Bible fully acknowledges that there are times when life is plainly difficult. But the Bible also tells us exactly what to do in those times. When life is hard and bewildering, and when trusting God is difficult, run to the throne of grace. There we find Jesus, ready to give us exactly what we need. He too endured hardship, heartbreak and suffering, and because of this, He can give us grace when we experience the same things. When we are struggling with trusting God, He invites us to run to Him for sustaining grace. (… to be continued…) Comments are closed.
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