When life gets rough, we sometimes find it difficult to trust God.
When I was a child, we played a trust game. Maybe you played it. One of us would open their arms out to the side and a friend would stand behind, arms out in front. If you trusted the friend to catch you, you slowly leaned back to fall into your friend’s waiting arms. It was scary and exciting. Then, you switched places and caught your friend. You trusted each other.
When we choose to trust someone, we have an expectation that specific actions will result from their acceptance of our trust. When we get into a car, we trust that the driver will bring us safely to our destination. We trust that the doctor will successfully perform a needed operation. We trust that our spouse will treat us with love and respect. We trust so many people with so many aspects of our lives.
Why is it so hard to trust God?
When life gets rough and things aren’t going the way we want, we sometimes find it more difficult to trust Him. We may doubt that He will do anything to help us. We put our trust in ourselves and in others. We lack confidence in His promises and we worry.
Trusting God is one of the most important parts of our relationship with Him. He wants our trust, especially in the difficult times of our lives.
I repeat this verse when I need to remind myself that God is in control. When I need to let go of my worry and give it to God.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5,6
This is one of those times.
My 12-year old granddaughter, a beautiful, talented dancer, has Type 1 diabetes. Since the day she was diagnosed over two years ago, I have been praying for her healing. Recently, she was diagnosed with an eating disorder and anxiety. Is this how God answered my prayers?.
Her younger sister, a sweet, loving, and energetic 10-year-old, has been on crutches and in a wheelchair since sometime last November. She has Legg-Calvé–Perthes disease, a childhood hip disorder caused by a disruption of blood flow to the head of the femur. The lack of blood flow causes the bone to die and stops growing. It is not curable because the cause is unknown. The good news is the body is able to self-heal the bone that is affected. The sad news is the healing process and duration vary. When diagnosed, she was told to keep all weight off that leg for at least a year.
It has been hard for her to give up everything that she loves to do. A test is scheduled for next week to see if there has been any change to the femur. I pray for her healing every day, asking God to grow her bone and allow her to run and jump again.
One more grandchild is heavy on my heart. The youngest, an energetic three-year-old, was recently tested for autism. He had been displaying symptoms since he was a baby. I always said he was his own little person and did things his way. He will be starting an early development class in August. His parents were told he would always be in a special class. They are learning everything they can and working with him to allow him to develop as much as possible. I added him to my prayers, asking for another miracle.
There is nothing I can do to heal my grandchildren. I can’t cure diabetes. I can’t repair a femur head that has died. I can’t reverse autism. I am helpless.
Except I am not helpless.
I refuse to give up. I refuse to let negative thoughts like these consume me. If I did, I would be playing right into the evil one’s hand.
I will trust in the Lord with all my heart. I will not lean on my own understanding. I will acknowledge Him and seek Him. I will allow Him to direct me – my thoughts, my words, and my actions.
I will continue to pray for my grandchildren’s healing. I will ask God for patience and will give my worries to Him. I choose to trust. He is in charge.
Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. Corrie ten Boom
