Written by Dawn Rutan
Once again God has conspired with several writers to remind me of His truth. My pastor and his wife were both involved in different ways. Meredith posted on Facebook, “Trusting in Jesus does not seem to me to be a one time declaration, but a moment by moment choice to remember and rest in what I know to be true, thereby relinquishing my control in the current situation.”
Right after that I read this article by a couple who lost their two young sons in a tragic accident: “God has a plan. The situation is a frustrating one. We don’t want to be here. We don’t like it. This is not a fun situation. We’re mad at the loss. But we know God is good and has a plan and we believe that” (http://www.wbtv.com/story/29592649/couple-relies-on-faith-forgiveness-after-losing-sons ). I can’t imagine what this couple is going through, but they have chosen to trust God when nothing makes much sense.
Another author writes of the lessons learned through losing her brother to cancer:
Not until I was at the very end of my frayed rope… that I decided to relinquish my counterfeit control and earnestly desire for God’s perfect rule to manifest His glory in the most powerful way possible… I lost my small vision, but I gained His big one. I saw my selfishness exposed, and it was ugly. I lost my control, but I came under His, which is where I lost panicked fear and found peaceful assurance. (Desperate Hope, by Candi Pearson-Shelton, pp. 35, 38)
There are days when I wonder what God is up to and why He can’t accomplish His purposes through less painful means. Some days it seems like nothing good comes out of the trying circumstances of life. Some days it feels like the middle of a 40-year journey in the wilderness. On one of those days last week I found this article by Jon Bloom, http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/dont-give-up, and I have reread it each day since. He comments:
…in embracing the gospel, we find ourselves also drafted into a war — a war to keep believing the gospel and a war to keep spreading it to others. In this age we ‘strive to enter that [complete] rest’ of the age to come (Hebrews 4:11). Wars are exhausting — especially long ones. That’s why you are often tired. Many soldiers, who experience the fierceness of combat, want to get out of it. That’s why you’re tempted to escape. That’s why you’re tempted to give up.
The battle to hold on to faith and to keep trusting Jesus day after day is one we all face at times—when loved ones face serious illness or are lost to death; when jobs are scarce and bills pile up; when it seems like prayers are not being answered; when God doesn’t do what we think He should… We have to ask ourselves whether we believe He is in control and whether we trust that His way is best. And if the answer is yes, we need to wait on Him and rest in Him even though the days may be long. Obviously He knows something that we don’t, and for that we can give thanks.
I’m reminded of the old hymn by Edgar Stites (public domain):
Simply trusting every day;
Trusting through a stormy way;
Even when my faith is small,
Trusting Jesus, that is all.
Chorus:
Trusting as the moments fly,
Trusting as the days go by,
Trusting Him, whate’er befall,
Trusting Jesus, that is all.
Brightly doth His Spirit shine
Into this poor heart of mine;
While He leads I cannot fall,
Trusting Jesus, that is all.
Singing if my way be clear,
Praying if the path be drear;
If in danger, for Him call,
Trusting Jesus, that is all.
Trusting Him while life shall last,
Trusting Him till earth is past,
Till His gracious advent call,
Trusting Jesus, that is all.
