More on trusting God…
This weekend, I’m teaching from Proverbs 3, which includes this familiar passage:
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 3:5-6 ESV)
Here are two blog posts from two different perspectives about trusting God:
Joel at “Grace Roots” writes about the “Fear of Grace“. He discusses his past struggles with trusting completely in the grace of God and not in his own ability for salvation or sanctification. Here are some excerpts:
I can truly relate to the “fear” of living by grace. I remember back to that time 12 years ago when I had been wondering and worrying about giving myself completely over to God’s grace. I truly feared that I would fall into licentiousness, or at least that I would get lazy in my Christian walk and would perhaps stop caring about my life in Christ…
It’s hard to explain the imagery of the mind, but the gist of all this was that I took the plunge and I was no longer trusting in my own strength to live the Christian life and I was solely trusting in grace. I can’t begin to tell you how my life changed. The roller coaster ride of feeling joyful when I felt I was performing well, and feeling very low when I wasn’t performing so well, was over!
And no, I didn’t get lazy in my walk with Jesus. Rather, my walk became restful (soooo different from lazy) and I took on a new-found JOY in serving and walking with Jesus!…
I came to understand that my life in Christ is not a matter of focusing on all the sins that I need to stop doing and all the good things that I need to start doing. My life in Christ is… Christ’s life! As I abide in Him, that is, as I simply rest in Him, I live and move and have my being in Him…
Take time to read Joel’s entire post. I’ve been meditating for the last week on “abiding with Christ”, so this post has been very helpful and encouraging.
Also, Renata at “Nurturing Notes” has written about making plans in a post called “Then… and now“. She writes about a 15-year career plan essay that she wrote for school five years ago. She concludes her post with this conclusion from her essay:
It was not by chance that I have made it to where I am now, but it is also not by meticulously mapping out how I would like my life to be. I do have desires like everyone else, yet I have found that I don’t need to rush to get there. There are times I have had to wait. I didn’t want to, but I did. I do not regret waiting because I have learned so much during that time. I would not have the vision I have now if I had attended UNC five years ago. I am happy to be where I am — most of all, I am happy to be following the leading of Jesus Christ — the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6).
This should challenge us all: are we happy (content, satisfied) following the leading of Jesus Christ even when he leads us away from our “meticulous mapping” of where we would like our lives to be?
Alan, thanks for the recent posts you’ve had in regards to trusting. I’ve commented on a few of them because trusting has been a big them in my life. That last line you wrote is a pressing question, one of those that we’d all love to say yes to, but know deep inside that we can’t. I ask myself all the time: why can I have no problem placing my trust in my wife, or my family, or my friends—heck, even my dog!—to be faithful all the time, yet not in the One who has promised and has never gone back on His promises?
I don’t think we need to be “happy” to follow Jesus. There are times He leads us down dark roads that can wreak havoc on our emotions. But we have to have “joy” in following Jesus. In that respect, Philippians 4:4-7 has been a very important passage for me as of late, and the difference between joy and happiness.
Thanks for the post.
Hi Alan,
Thanks for mentioning my post. I feel like I’ve come a long way in trusting, and yet have so far to go! I think I “grow” in trusting as I think about the truth in the proverbs that you and Renata posted and as I look back on my life in Christ. So much of what has happened is so different than what I have planned or would have ever expected! Even my “coming to Christ” in the first place was in no way planned by me.
“…But the Lord determines his steps.” That is grace. 🙂
I’ve actually been thinking of blogging about some of this myself, because many of these same types of thoughts have been going through my head during the past few months. I’ve been in a place where I have a lot of hopes and dreams, and sometimes I wonder how they will all come to fruition. The thing is, some of them will, some of them won’t – but it’s the Lord who has brought me to where I am now and it’s the Lord who continues to determine my steps. I can rest in that. 🙂
Jake,
Knowing Renata, I think she would agree that we don’t need to be “happy” to follow Jesus, which is why I added “content, satisfied”. Joy is another aspect. If we can learn to be content, satisfied, and joyful as we follow Jesus – wherever we follow Jesus – in any circumstance and situation, then we are learning to trust him. Like you, I also ask myself why I find it so easy to trust people and things more than I trust God. It’s almost like I’m living as if he is not here with me even now.
Joel,
I’ve appreciated many of your posts. I hope you decide to blog more about trusting God, even when he leads us away from our dreams and plans.
-Alan