TRUSTING GOD

 

 

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”

(Isaiah 26:3-4)

 

I think that depression, anxiety, and worry result when we obsess on ourselves. What then is the antidote? Trusting in God! Isaiah claims that we are kept in perfect peace by trusting in God, by directing our mind to obsess on Him. As a result, I try to carry my memory verses whenever I go to prompt me to rejoice in Him. Jesus taught:

 

·       “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:31-33)

 

Our Lord is the only answer, even for our righteousness and self-esteem:

 

·       Indeed, I count everything as loss [as a source for self-righteousness] because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith. (Philippians 3:8-9)

 

Not to say that his education was rubbish! However as a source of righteousness, Paul had despaired of earning it through obedience to the Law. He could only obtain it through faith in Christ. This wasn’t an easy lesson to learn. He first had to despair of self-trust, something almost impossible for those who regard themselves as “accomplished”:

 

·       For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. (2 Corinthians 1:8-9)

 

The Christian must graduate from self-trust to God-trust. It seems that this isn’t possible without a great deal of suffering, which gradually enables us to take our eyes off ourselves and onto our only Hope!

 

You might think, “It is just too difficult to trust in God?” It’s not hard. Just make a commitment—“I will decide to trust in God, even though it seems to be beyond my ability”:

 

·       Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. (Psalm 37:3-5)

 

Let us simply decide to commit our lives to Him, and He will do the rest! This means that we also commit our lives to faithfulness and to confess our sins when we fail.