Hey, Cobblestone,
Do you trust God?
Let the question bubble up for a bit. There’s an easy answer
– a Christian reflex, we might say – but I think we’ll be more satisfied if we
hold it off for a while. I asked a very broad question, on purpose, but the
best responses will be more specific.
I trust God with whatever I can’t possibly change: the orbits
of heavenly bodies, the rotation of Earth and such. I trust God, sometimes,
with whatever I can’t change but think I can: the effects of gravity,
international affairs and all that jazz. Trusting God in the details, in the
everyday, in all the matters in which he calls for my cooperation – yeah,
that’s the hard part.
In our last letter, I wrote to you on Romans 15:13, “May
the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that
you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” I hadn’t
planned for the verse to become a series, but there’s a certain phrase that
won’t leave me alone, so I’ll pester you with it as well: “…as you trust in
him.”
From the prayer Jesus taught us, we have some familiar
phrases: “on earth as it is in heaven,” and “forgive our trespasses as we
forgive those who trespass against us.” The small-but-mighty word – “as” – sets
up a firm correlation. In the same manner and to the same measure that the
kingdom of God has come to heaven, we pray for the kingdom to come here on
earth. In the same manner and to the same measure that we forgive those who
trespass against us, our trespasses are forgiven. Romans 15:13 has the same correlation
loaded into it – “…as you trust in him.” Joy and peace ride in through
the gate opened by trusting God.
Trust, we know, is built over time. In human relationships,
we take that as a given. Why? Because we’ve had relationships with some
untrustworthy people – keep your distance, let trust be proven. Ironically,
Christians tend toward the weird idea that trusting God is a one-and-done,
now-and-forever proposition. This notion sets up a difficult scenario: I
trusted God once – say, for salvation – but if I fail to trust him in some
detail, all of my trust in him is shaken… or broken. That won’t do.
From what I can tell in Scripture, God is OK with us learning
to trust him over time. Jesus didn’t come on the scene saying, “Hey, everybody,
I’m the Son of the Almighty – time to bow down and worship!” Rather, he came
healing and ministering and admonishing. He made an offer, that even if the
people couldn’t yet trust his claim of deity, they could begin to trust through
what he was doing among them. All of us who are saved trusted God for salvation
– but at that point, did any of us understand everything salvation involved?
I’ve never been a fan of the “Jesus Take the Wheel” brand of
faith. Jesus made the wheel, and whatever road I’m traveling, he,
ultimately, paved it. But when he plunks me down in the left-front seat, I get
the idea he wants me to drive – according to his purpose, of course. Job One
for me is to give up the notion that I made the wheel, I paved the road, or my
purposes are better than his. As God called the first human to be co-regent
with him in the Garden of Eden, so he calls all saved humans to participate in
the reconciliation of all things on earth and in heaven.
“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and
trust is your strength” (Isaiah 30:15). Nothing can be added to salvation – we walk into Jesus’
finished work on the cross. But look at the arrangement of trust and strength,
so close together. Strength, like trust, is built over time. The Father’s
trustworthiness will always outpace our level of trust in him, and we are made
stronger – quietly, faithfully – each time his grace is found to be sufficient
for the day.
As you trust in him… joy and peace begin to fill. It’s a one-for-one proposition,
best I can tell. My prayer for us is that we lean into the trust, and are
willing to be surprised by the joy and peace.
Do you trust God? Get as specific as you like; God can handle
it.
Grace and Peace (with a side of joy),
John
John
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