Trust

It is easy to become overwhelmed when we look at our own resources and think, "How will be ever be able to do this?" Let's face it, very few people have not been impacted by the current economic crisis. My wife recently lamented, "I wish money were not such a big issue." It seems every time we are just about to get ahead, something breaks, something needs repaired, the kids have grown again and their clothes are too small, or simply the costs of everyday necessities keep increasing. What are we to do? So often, I will look at the checking account balance and think, "How am I going to pay the bills?" or "Where am I going to get the money for this?" I begin to rely solely upon myself. I begin to worry. I become irritable. I lash out. This has often been the pattern that I followed and I have been wrong.

Recently my wife and I rented the movie Flywheel, which is put out by the same group that released Fireproof. It was Sherwood Pictures' first full length film. Sherwood Pictures gives the following synopsis of the film:

Jay Austin wants to sell used cars in the worst way ... and that's exactly how he does business at his dealership. Promising much more than he can ever deliver, he'll do whatever it takes to sell a car. His manipulative ways permeate all of his relationships—even his wife and son know they can't trust him.

But as Jay works on restoring a classic convertible, he begins to see that God is working on restoring him as well. Coming face-to-face with the reality of how he truly conducts himself, Jay Austin begins the ride of his life as he commits to honoring God with his business, his relationships, and his life!

At the turning point of Jay's life a verse comes alive for him. It is from Proverbs 3:5, 6. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." (NLT)

I have thought about this verse quite a bit over the past several weeks. The more I think about it, the more I realize just how difficult this verse is to put into practice. After all I am a man, and men like to fix things, well I should say attempt to fix things. One thing I have learned over my almost ten years of marriage is that I can not fix my wife. The main reason being she ain't broke. But men are like this, if something is broken and needs to be fixed, we want to fix it. Sometimes when I have attempted this it ends up being broken even more and in a bigger mess than had I left it alone.

Finances are big thing with me. I worry about them. I used to get upset when something went wrong with the car or we needed to replace a worn out item. But now this verse comes to mind, and it is as if God is asking me, "Jeff, do you trust me?" The hard part is answering this honestly, because God doesn't just want to hear me say "Yes Lord, I trust You." He wants to see it in how I respond. He wants to know I trust Him with all of my heart, not just the part I want to give Him. He wants me to depend upon Him fully without any reservation. So many times it is so easy to try to depend upon my own finite understanding.

The hard part for me is putting away my own understanding, my own fears, my own worries and my own solutions. It is when I put all of this aside and ignore all the paths that I have made up on my own and decide to follow the path God has prepared for me, that I can receive His divine providence.

So when difficult times come, give it all over to God. Trust in Him completely and He will show the way out. Scripture does not guarantee an easy path or an instant solution. It may require hard work and diligence on our part, but God will see us through. He will provide the strength we need to persevere.