Trust in the Lord...

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

Recently I have been under several burdens. Sometimes it seems difficult situations, or stress, or whatever it may be, come in groups! When I find myself feeling overwhelmed I cry out to my Father.

I suppose the first verses I think of are Proverbs 3. Have you ever wondered why God said NOT to lean on our understanding? Because He knew we would. (And you thought I was going to say something profound!)

When faced with difficult circumstances, the first thing a child of God should do is pray. However, that is often the last thing! (Been there, done that, have the tee-shirt collection!)

The first thoughts that enter most people's mind are: What can I do to fix this? How can I make this work? Maybe it would be better if I...

It reminds me of a little boy wanting to help his dad put something together. The father knows what he is building--the child does not. The father knows how the pieces fit--the child does not. The father knows the end result--the child does not. But often the child with cry and beg, "Please let me try! Let me fix it! I know how!"

Perhaps that father might even let them try their hand in it. What usually happens is the child makes a worse mess than there was before. Then the father has to undo what has been done, and continue the process.

We are so like that. I am so like that. "Oh Father! I know how you could fix this! Lord if you would only do it this way! Please, can't I have it my way?"

The Bible says God's ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. Why does the Bible tell us not to lean unto our own understanding? Because our understanding is flawed. No matter how intelligent or well learned we are...we are still human.

God is omnipotent (all powerful) and omnipresent (space and time are not issues for Him!) He knows the beginning and the end, because He IS the Alpha, and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. He sees the "whole puzzle" together and finished. We just see the jumbled pieces. If we try to put them together, we just make the situation worse. If we let Him put the pieces together, there is a beautiful picture.

Someone said a good definition for stupid is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results. I'd have to agree, that logic is flawed. So why do we still do it in our lives?

I mean, how many times do I really have to learn the hard way that God is able to handle my problems, my needs, my fears, my dreams, my hopes, my everything?

One preacher said one time that we are funny Christians...we trust God to keep our eternal souls, but not to solve our mortal problems. We think that we, the finite, can solve problems better than God, the infinite.

God gave us a beautiful picture in the book of Job. Poor Job. I don't think anyone alive could have possibly suffered worse than he. In one day he lost ten children. He lost all his wealth, and his health...and his wife wasn't exactly encouraging! (to be fair though, she was suffering too.) If that wasn't bad enough, his friends came, stared at him for days, and then accused him of living in sin. I don't know about you, but by that point, all thoughts of wisdom and civility would be lost on my part!

Eventually Job cried out to God, begging for answers, feeling forsaken, unable to understand. God answered him though, and asked Job where had he been during creation, and who had been God's counselor? In other words, No one needed to tell God how to do things.

Job didn't know the end result of his trial, but God did. Job had no way of knowing that God would give him back everything he lost and then some. Job's trial proved to satan and Job's friends that Job was a faithful man. Job's trial has served as a help and encouragement to others who read his story in the Bible. It was for his good, and for God's glory.

Those verses from Proverbs also say, "in ALL thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths." I can't pick and choose what I let God handle and what I tackle myself. Well...I can, but I'll mess it up every time!

I must give every burden, every situation, and every part of myself to God. I must yield myself entirely to His will. Only then will I find peace and rest.

Only in surrender to God will I find freedom. Freedom from sin, fear, worry, you name it, only in giving it wholly to God and allowing Him to work, will I find freedom.

All to Jesus, I surrender;
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.

Refrain

I surrender all, I surrender all,
All to Thee, my blessèd Savior,
I surrender all.

All to Jesus I surrender;
Humbly at His feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken;
Take me, Jesus, take me now.

Refrain

All to Jesus, I surrender;
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel the Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine.

Refrain

All to Jesus, I surrender;
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power;
Let Thy blessing fall on me.

Refrain

All to Jesus I surrender;
Now I feel the sacred flame.
O the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory, to His Name!

Refrain