Week Six: Trust Without Wavering

“I want this year to be different.”    “This year I really mean it, God.”    “I just need peace in my life.”    “I’m going to set some goals.”    “I’m going to do things Your way.”

Sound familiar?

The beginning of a new year brings about a fresh start…a chance to make some changes and do things differently…a chance to again, recommit our hearts to God and do things His way. I mean, we know that God wants the best for us, right? Then why is it that we don’t seem to want the best for ourselves? We say we trust God, but then we often do our own thing. Anyone else relate?

I know that January for me, starts a list of all of the things I want to focus on in my walk with Him…all the ways that I want to do life better…to be a better wife…a better mom…a better friend…to grow in my walk with God…to do things the way He wants me to do them. But many times, I end up over-riding His plan and implementing my own, which most of the time takes me down a bumpy road and ends up pretty messy.

Why is that anyways? Why is it that even when I know His ways are higher and better, and I know He has a plan and my best interests at heart, I still end up relying on my own strength…on my own plans, over and over and over?

I believe that it’s because of one simple word…TRUST.

Sure, we can say that we trust God…I say it all the time and I actually believe I mean it…but, do our actions really reflect that? Do we really TRUST Him in the heat of the moment? In the daily grind? When we have to make big decisions with big ramifications? Or do we take things into our own hands?

“The word ‘trust’ in the Bible, literally means ‘a bold, confident, sure security or action based on that security.’ Trust is not exactly the same as faith, which is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9). It’s what we do as a result of the faith we have been given…it’s believing in the promises of God in all circumstances, even in those where the evidence seems to be to the contrary.” ~Kenny Luck

That’s our topic for this week…Trusting without wavering. The Bible is pretty clear:

“Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil!” 

~ Proverbs 3:5-7

In my own life, I struggle with trust issues in general, let alone in my relationship with God, which is part of why I chose this topic to study. But, I do want to do things differently, and this year, my one and only “resolution” if you will, is to grow in the areas of trusting God and understanding who He is at a much deeper level. It's really the foundation of everything else. How much we trust God is reflected in how we live...how we handle situations and circumstances...how we function in relationships...and how vulnerable we are willing to be in our relationships not only with others, but most importantly with God.

So, where do you find yourself as far as trusting God on a scale of 1-10? When problems arise and chaos ensues, do you find that you are more likely to run to Him or to take things into your own hands? What about when life is calm? Do you depend more on yourself and “save” God for the big stuff or do you find it easier to trust Him when there aren't crises to deal with?

~Kris Samovitz