Did you know before reading Proverbs chapter three that walking in wisdom means that you trust in the Lord? I did not. Trust actually means that you rely upon; you lay face down—the most vulnerable of body postures—in the midst of your season of uncertainty. To trust God then signifies that a lot of courage is exhibited as you lie face down in the presence of danger and ambiguity.
Can you do this? I mean: Can you trust God right now? I mean, right in the midst of your present trial and predicament? The answer should flow out of your soul in a resounding “yes”. That’s what wisdom is calling for you to do.
Have you heard of the Trust Game? It’s that silly group exercise where someone falls backwards in an act of trust because they are assured the people standing behind them will catch them. The action of falling without knowing exactly that you will be caught by the others on your team or in your work unit is a demonstration of trust on your part. Recently, a young man on the high school football team was playing that game with the other members of the team. The coach wanted to heighten the players’ ability to trust one another, with the hope of improving the overall team’s ability to win more games.
As providence would have it, the quarterback who had been struggling all season with playing at his level of potential, could not perform the trust game. The coach pulled him into the privacy of the locker room only to learn that the teenager had been having family problems that made trust an impossible concept to grasp. I wonder how many people are unable to trust God because they are unable to trust other important people in their lives.
What’s your interesting story surrounding trust? Or, what can you contribute to our conversation in the relationship of trust and wisdom? Go ahead, make the post.
Okay, your analogy made me think of the GEICO commercial where the tall business executive wants to play the trust game with the little 6 inch gecko. However, our God is more than able and we can trust Him with what seems to be the largest if issues. We and our circumstances represent the 6 inch gecko and our God is a strong GIANT that is more than able.
ReplyDeleteWow, this is so amazing! During my prayer and meditation this morning...my vision was that of the exact analogy of the Trust Game! God is so faithful. In addition, when I think of trust it brings to my mind the verse in 2 Corin 12:9...where it says, my grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in your weakness...that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Trust is the ability to "REST"...that firm posture and attitude that God has made you weak enough that you are standing firm (in the Word) and has EMPOWERED the person waiting to catch you without delay. I like to refer to it as a moment of "knowing that you know, that you KNOW". It means, that all pieces are in place, the renewing of your mind has been transformed, the fruits of the Spirit are vibrant and engaged, and your seeking and delight in God will allow you to WIN according to how God has prospered you!
ReplyDeleteIt's when the seeds planted have fallen on good soil and now it's time to reap the mighty harvest. Oh the joy to TRUST in the Lord with all thine heart, for we are a peculiar people.
1 Corin. 2:3 says And I was with you in weakness, and in fear and in much trembling. I would imagine when playing the trust game, and your trust has been shattered there is much fear (insecurity, doubts) and trembling. To play the trust game and be expected to "let go of fear" is daunting...and it's only the surrender of the past hurts, issues, struggles that will help us to reach that ability to drop backwards and believing (KNOWING) that there will be someone there to catch me with out delay or a change of heart (so to speak).
For FAITH is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. "I have faith that when I relax/rest and fall back (hope) you will stand to receive (catch)-because I can't see you (faith is blind) the evidence will be (result) in you catching me equals --Trust!
With Praying Hands,
Shaun
Hey Christ Church, R U out there? These are some core issues for what it means to be a disciple of Christ. How to walk in Godly wisdom and put trust in God instead of our own understanding and circumstances really requires emotional honesty and introspection. Introspection can require "process time". I'm disappointed that more people haven't participated in these daily blogs:(
ReplyDeleteYet I ask myself why haven't I responded more often? I believe that we are in a season where distraction and perceived priorites have kept us from engaging in quiet, reflective moments with ourselves and the Lord. For me, carving out quiet time with intentionality has been most challenging these last few months.
Pastor, I so appreciate your willingness to try and connect with members and friends of Christ Church and connect us with one another. I sense your genuine desire to fullfill a felt need "to reach, love and serve people better."
I believe people are reading this blog; I know I am, but like myself, many just haven't carved out the time to connect. Hey, Christ Church, lets Trust this process, meant to connect us with one another. Writing a small 5 to 7 sentence paragraph and beginning to share our hearts and thoughts with those we worship with on Saturdays and Sundays could move us closer to our desire for change by "reaching out" and connecting. Lets give space in our lives to share what we have in common and begin to use this blog format as an instrument for developing relationships. That's wisdom too.
Grace & Peace to Your Day
I wish I had an amazing story where I could say that I totally and wholeheartedly trusted God and that He miraculously worked things out for me, but honestly this is something I struggle with daily. I am a self-admitted control freak. Being an older sibling and a corporate lawyer don't help this. :-)
ReplyDeleteBut lately, I've had to face things that I just can't deal with on my own. I've strategized, reasoned, theorized and applied my plan and . . . nothing. I know that the lesson in this is learning how to let God handle things for me, but it's still a daily challenge.
Hello Everyone,
ReplyDeleteA very dear friend of mine, Clarence Jennings is his name, an old man whom I call “Dad” because he is my spiritual father, has given me Proverbs 3: 5-6 as a guide and a reminder to trust God no matter the circumstance, everything that he would give me as a gift, whether it’s a bible or a book on prayer, he always signs it with this same phrase “trust in the Lord with all your heart...” At first, I didn’t like that verse because I didn’t understand the importance of it; but as I journeyed through the paths of life, I learned to navigate on that verse like a boat in the middle of the ocean. The question that is posed in the initial post asked if I can trust God right now. I will say yes with all my heart, mind and soul. God is all I’ve had to rely on. I like to watch British mystery series (Poirot is my favorite); as I was watching one evening, one of the inspectors was talking to a lady friend and they were trying to decipher the case because the person that was murdered must have known her attacker so they assumed. Now the lady friend replied by saying this: “you can’t trust a person you’re not close with.” I liked what she said, so I immediately jotted the quote in my prayer book and I would meditate on it later to see to what degree I trusted God and if I considered him to be close to me and vice versa. I will say that God is a good God, He can be trusted with everything, whether good and bad. What I came to realize is that no matter what the situation, even in death God has a good plan and sometime it’s a plan of continuation – that something started by one will be completed by another. Therefore, we have to rely on God to do exceedingly above and beyond what our imagination can allow us to think about Him. I will be honest though, when you acknowledge that you trust God, you may have to wrestle with Him just like Jacob did, because if you’re not careful, He will pull a fast one on you so much that you would think the devil is doing it.
I’ve had to use the Jacob strategy on several occasions because you have to show Him that you want the blessings that He promises to give. Victory is for all of us Christians, but we lie dormant too much waiting for things to fall into place by themselves. Sometimes, we have to wrestle with the same One that says He’ll give in order to get the blessing. Jacob did get his blessing – I post the reference here for all interested in this strategy (Genesis 32: 24-30).
Everyone, have a great afternoon, be blessed.
wh
I posted in one of the earlier blogs about my stand to "take back" my childlike trust in God during this season. My trust story starts out bad, but is getting better all the time! Unfortunately, I learned to distrust at a very early age. Unlearning this was hard because the ability to trust (or a lack thereof) impacts how a person thinks and operates. Thank God that as a young adult, I began to uncover the issues surrounding my distrust. I was also blessed by wise older Believers who helped me to see that inherent distrust also signals lack of trust in God. One woman told me straight out, "When you say don't trust anybody, you also mean God." Understanding that was essential for me. The most important part of my healing has been experiencing how faithful, loving, and trustworthy God is, even in difficult times and even when I felt like I just couldn't. I'm so grateful that He never got angry at me for my "trust issues," and as I continue to grow in Him, He loves me enough to challenge me in the areas of my life where trust remains an issue. Trusting more every day requires God's grace in my life, and my willingness to remain prayerful, honest, and vulnerable before Him. It truly is my heart's desire to trust Him with a childlike heart.
ReplyDeleteGreetings everyone,
ReplyDeleteIf I was asked if I trust God a year and a half ago, I would say yes……… and mean it (or so I believed). However, a year ago we were impacted by the economic crisis when my husband lost his job………. It seemed like overnight our income was cut in half. I remember us being scared and nervous. We weren’t sure what to do, or how we would make it on one income ……
During this time I was attending School of the Holy Spirit and I was learning what it meant yield to the Holy Spirit and let Him be my guide! So out of desperation, we went to the Word and our heavenly Father. The short version of the testimony is that the last year has taught us how to trust in the sovereignty of God. He knows what’s best for us in every circumstance!
Through a difficult series of events, we’ve learned the faithfulness of God first hand. We also learned that sadly, our trust was in our financial stability :( and not God. He has and continues to provide for us in every area of our lives. So now when I am asked do I trust God, I can honestly answer YES, YES and YES!
LaToya