Today’s post is centered on a scripture sent in one of my readers. I hope that you learn something new or cement an old concept while reading this!
Most people don’t like placing their life in some else’s hands. You see it regularly by the questioning that precedes letting someone drive you somewhere. You often ask the question “are you sure you know how to use that thing?” when a dangerous object is involved. The concept of letting someone else control the situation that might harm you is concerning to say the least.
Let’s look at Psalm 143:8.
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. Psalm 143:8
The Passion Translation
Twice this verse mentions a form of trusting; trust and entrust. Clearly, it is important for us to trust God with our lives. But, do we usually do that?
For example, when we are confronted with a situation that we are unsure what direction to go, do we trust that God will guide us and pray about it? Or do we go for whatever makes us happy in the moment? When you realize that a harder life path is your calling, do you trust God to help you along the way? Or do you run in the opposite direction?
Many times in life we are given the chance to trust God or entrust Him with something and we don’t. Why do we have this natural distrust? What is with this longing to keep the control?
Honestly, experiences have made us distrust others. All of us have had an experience where someone or something didn’t happen the way it was supposed to. Because of that, we no longer want to give up our control of the situation. Some have been betrayed and don’t want the heartache again. There are so many different experiences that can cause this.
Why shouldn’t we give into distrust? First off, some people it is perfectly legitimate to distrust. There are people in the world who are evil or unreliable. Don’t think I’m trying to tell you to trust everyone on the planet. The only person I am telling you to trust without question is God.
He has never abandoned you. Sometimes you feel like He has, but that isn’t true. In those times, your decisions and emotions are blocking you from seeing or feeling Him. That’s why we have to take the time every day to clear out so we can see God clearly. I’m not talking about weird Buddha rituals here. I am talking about a devotion to prayer, Biblical reading, and life application.
What do I mean by life application? This is when we take what we have heard in response to our prayers and what we have read in our Bible and compare them to life. For example, when you have just read a scripture on self-control, you can logically apply this to life by first identifying what areas of life you lack self-control. Then, to apply further, you pray for self-control and think through ways you can help yourself move away from those destructive habits.
I enjoy to journal what I learn in my Bible reading. This method involves writing down scriptures that stand out as I read through a chapter. Once I have written down what I am noticing, it becomes easier to think through how it applies to me.
One big… let me do this better… one BIG note I am going to leave you with is this: Be open to correction and listen quickly to conviction. One of the worst things we can do to ourselves is become defensive when someone points out our shortcomings or if our heart begins to pang from guilt. Don’t try to force a situation to make since as good or right. When you have to do that, you should instantly realize it was wrong and you need to repent.
An area of my Christian walk I have struggled with is accepting correction. I hate being wrong, and I hate feeling like a failure. God has been working within me in several areas and poking my heart with conviction often. Though I am not perfect, I have noticed that I am receiving correction better. This did not happen without difficulty and long hours of prayer. Don’t give up when it seems like nothing is changing! Maybe a spiritual growth you were hoping for isn’t happening just yet, but look around your life. Another one might be occurring!
I want to challenge you to let God make some adjustments in your life so that you can trust Him more. He has so many things planned for you that you just have to trust Him for.