I Trust You Lord

Do you trust God? I mean really trust God. When times are tough and you can't see your way out do you pray about it and leave it in God's hands? Or do you take it upon yourself to try and fix the situation. If I am being completely honest I would have to say that I often times pick it back up and try to handle it myself.


By the time I was five years old I had learned Proverbs 3:5-6. My parents were really big on scripture memorization, so right along with our school work we had to learn scriptures. (Thank you mom and dad for that.) This verse was an easy one to learn but I have to say that I didn't learn the true concept of trusting in the Lord until I was in my 30's. I said I trusted him but most of the time that was just words. If there was something that I ultimately believed I could do myself then I said I trust you Lord. Like when I had a bill due that I knew I wouldn't be able to pay this month but I knew that I could call the utility company and get an extension until the next month when my bonus check was coming. But what about the things I didn't have control over - like when I lost my job and wasn't geting any hits on my resume for months and the bills started piling up. Sure I could call and get the extension but I didn't have that bonus check coming in. As a matter of fact, I didn't even have a paycheck coming in. Or when I went to the doctor and the initial results were okay but then two days later I received a call from the doctor with not so favorable news. I didn't have any control over that. What was I supposed to do? I didn't realize that true trust in the Lord came when I realized nothing was in my control. I had to get to the point that no matter what, and in everything, I came to rely completely on the Lord.


Let's take a closer look at Proverbs 3:5-6. These two verses are full of verbs - action words. That means you need to do something. First you need to trust. Trust is defined as assured reliance on the character, ability or strength of someone. Let's take a logical look at this. It means that you have looked at the gains and losses, calculated the expected utility based on hard performance data, and concluded that the person in question will behave in a predictable manner. In laymen terms, it means you looked at your life with and without the Lord, you thought about what he has already done for you and you decided that he is faithful to do what he has promised. Then we are told to 'lean not unto thy own understanding'. I'll say it again - sometimes we are our own worse enemies. Sometimes we don't see things clearly. We have a one-sided view. When someone has done me wrong, I just want to get them back. Not realizing that I am only making matters worse. When you lean on something, you place all your weight on that object. My mom just had knee surgery and has to use crutches. It was funny because she had to be taught to use the crutches. Why? Because she was used to relying on the use of both her legs. We are no different. We have come to rely on our own ability, even in times of crisis. Instead of putting our trust in God, we continue to worry. We are in pain, yet we think we can make it on our own, when all we have to do is lean. Then we are told to acknowledge him in all our ways. This means in everything we do. We give God credit and 'carte blanche' permission to act on our behalf. Now I don't know about you but if there is anyone I feel comfortable giving this kind of access to every facet of my life - it's the Lord.

So after trusting, leaning and acknowledging, God then tells us what he will do for us. He will direct our paths. That's good new ya'll. Because I don't know about you, but as I travel along this journey called life and I think about how many times God has directed me around some roadblocks, over some mountains and thru some valleys, I am so grateful. He didn't leave me to my own devices. He told me when to stop, when to yield and when to move forward. And each and every time I came out victorious. Now when I say I trust you Lord, I mean it. I believe Jesus can work it out, if you let him. You see that problem that I had, I could not seem to solve I tried and I tried, I just kept getting deeper involved. Then I turned it over to Jesus. And I stopped worrying about it. I gave it over to the Lord and he worked it out!

Dear Lord,

I admit that I struggle with trusting you with every aspect of my life. I still want to have control. Today I am turning everything over to you. I'm not gonna worry about it anymore. I believe you will work it out for me. Thank you for your guidance. In Jesus' Name Amen.