Trusting God

Many of us have a difficult time trusting God because we really do not know who He is. We put attributes on God that do not belong. Sometimes our distorted image of God comes from our life experiences. Sometimes it is from wrong teaching. Whatever the source, it keeps us from embracing God and all He has for us. Almost everyone has prayed for something and wondered why God did not answer our prayer. Depending on the situation, this can have a huge impact on us. We may think that God does not really care about us, or that we have made God mad at us, or that God is really not there. Our image of God can be affected by our fathers. If you had a father that was never there for you, or was unpredictable, or was always angry, it may affect the way you look at God. In other words, if our father on earth was not trustworthy, how can we trust God our Father who we have never seen? I would never pretend to understand all about God but let me tell you what I do believe. Number one: God loves us. I accept this because Scripture tells us it is true. Over time I have experienced God’s love in remarkable ways. Sometimes we just need to accept something as true even though we don’t really “feel it.” The feeling will come. I promise you. Number two: God hurts when we hurt. Jesus came in the flesh to live among us. In the thirty-three years of His life he was tortured, whipped, tormented, betrayed, spit on, and ridiculed. He experienced the death of one He loved. He was tempted. Whatever we experience, He has also experienced it. He can identify with us, and so we can turn to Him and know without a doubt that He understands – He deeply understands. Number three: God grieves with us. I do not know why bad things happen to good people. I do not know why God allowed 9/11 or the OKC bombing or Hurricane Katrina. I just do not know. What I do know is that God was and is there to help us through everything that we face. There are those I spent time with after the OKC bombing that would tell each of us that the only way they made it through the aftermath of that horrific event was by letting God in to walk through it with them.Trusting God is an act of faith. Beth Moore says it so well in her study “Believing God.” If my memory is right, she teaches these five affirmations: 1. God is who He says He is. 2. God can do what He says He can do. 3. I am who God says I am. 4. I can do all things through Him. 5. I am believing God. For me, the bottom line is this: When I pray I believe with all my heart, mind, and soul that God can and will answer that prayer – but if He does not, He is still my God and He still loves me. He is God and I am not. In this life I will not understand fully the ways of God, but He never changes. He is worthy of my trust – and yours.

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