“Trust God.”
“Oh, I do trust Him!”
“Do you really?”
“Certainly I do! Are you doubting me?”
“Why are you fighting this battle in your own strength? Why are you doing it your way, making all the decisions, and I might add, making all those mistakes?”
“Everything’s falling to pieces. I have to do something. I can’t just sit back and watch it all go downhill.”
“It’s falling to pieces because you’re not trusting. God said ‘Trust Me.’ You clearly heard Him. It was the answer that you prayed for.”
“I know, but…”
“Ah, there’s the rub. You are putting a condition on your trust.”
“No, I’ve already told you that I trust Him. How could I not trust Him? He saved me from darkness and hell.”
“You trust Him, but…”
“But I can’t let everything fall apart and do nothing.”
“See? You will trust Him as long as everything goes the way you think it should. You will trust Him with your eyes, but not your heart.”
“God knows my heart.”
“He certainly does, and He knows that you are not trusting Him with your heart.”
“You’re being judgmental. And you’re condemning me. Who are you to tell me what to do? You don’t understand what I’m going through.”
“Now you’re trying to change the subject, divert the focus from your lack of trust to my qualifications and intent. Please answer one question. Are you trusting God fully from the heart?”
“According to you I’m not?’
“No, it is according to your words. Now here is the truth. I will tell you because I love you. You can fight this battle in your strength, using your intelligence, your experience, reasoning skills, etc., or you can submit to God’s will and let Him fight it. It’s that simple. If you really trust God, it is a simple choice to make. If you doubt that He can solve this crisis, then you will never take your hands off of it. He is not going to let you tinker in the matter while He is doing a far superior work.”
“You don’t know how difficult it is to do nothing while everything falls apart around me.”
“Trusting God is not doing nothing. You said it was very difficult. That means it is doing something. That’s why it is easier to put your hands in the matter. How are you ever going to have great faith if you never use it in a time of great need? You trusted Him with your soul when He saved you. Now trust Him to keep what you commit to Him.”
“This is the most difficult thing I have ever done. I feel completely helpless.”
“Pardon the cliché, but that is when He is completely helpful. His strength is made perfect in your weakness. That’s in 2 Corinthians 12:9.”
“I know. I know all the answers. You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know. But knowing it and putting it into practice are two completely different things.”
“Yes, and that is the great fight of faith that every true Christian must fight. Whatever He puts under His feet will be under your feet. But you cannot put it under your feet first, and expect that He is going to follow you. He said, ‘Let me handle it.’ That was His answer. You response is to trust Him. Can you pray, ‘Not my will but Your’s, Father God.’?”
“I will yield to His will.”
“No matter if it gets worse? And even if it looks like all hope for victory is gone?”
“Yes. I don’t know how I’m going to do that, but I will do the best I can do.”
“Then according to God, who cannot lie, you will be victorious. Not by your might, or your power, but by His Spirit. When it is over, you will have gained more than a victory. You will have gained something spiritually that cannot be measured in worth.”
“I hope you’re right. This is new territory for me. I hope I do not fail.”
“No one has ever failed who put their trust in God. The only failure is not to trust Him. The path from trusting in our abilities to trusting in His love and power cannot be travelled on our feet, but on our knees. Comfort comes from the feet, but fire comes from the knees. That fire will burn away all fear and doubt. Pray until peace comes. When peace arrives, your trust is complete.”
T(o) R(est) U(ntil) S(atan’s) T(rounced)
trounce: to thrash or punish severely ; especially : to defeat decisively – Merriam-Webster
