Trust in God

Psalm 107:24-25, 28-30 - They saw the works of the LORD, his wonderful deeds in the deep. For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.

Why would God cause a storm and then wait for us to call on Him to relieve it? Is He an arrogant God who flexes His muscles and causes these circumstances just to solicit our praise when He delivers us? Is He some callous, hurtful spirit that derives pleasure in seeing us squirm? Is this His way of making sure we never forget who is really in charge? I say no to each of those theories.

Rather, I believe His word would support two things: 1) He allows and even creates circumstances which will serve to grow us and teach us. 2) He seizes these opportunities to show Himself strong on our behalf.

1 Peter 5:10 - And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

Romans 5:3-5 - Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

2 Corinthians 1:9a - But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

2 Chronicles 16:9a - For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.

Our precious Savior assures us that we will face trials while on this earth but that we can rejoice because He’s overcome the world! Yes, there are trials but God’s plans for us – even in the midst of trials – are to prosper us and to give us a future and a hope!

Further, how deep would our faith and trust go in the Lord without experiencing Him in a personal way? How do we know if He is faithful or trust worthy if we’ve never experience Him keeping His word? Yes, reading the Word is very useful and should be our regular practice but we do not grow in intimacy with the Lord by just reading about Him. We can “touch” this concept by thinking about our earthly relationships: simply reading about your spouse on a daily basis could only take you so far! You need one-on-one time with him or her in order to truly learn about them and to understand them.

I love how Andrae Crouch expresses these sentiments:

“I thank God for the mountains,

and I thank Him for the valleys,

I thank Him for the storms He brought me through.

For if I’d never had a problem,

I wouldn’t know God could solve them,

I’d never know what faith in God could do.”

 

So, precious one, through it all, trust in God.