How many times have you worn out your knees praying to God for a concise piece of instruction or clear direction? In our current immediate gratification culture, we are accustomed to receiving information quickly. Trips to the library are often replaced by web searches, and Google has become our wise older grandparent who gives advice. We have all heard the phrase "we are surrounded by information, but not wisdom." And surely this has borne itself out as true over time.
The truth is that most of our current human interactions have been documented in the Bible already, so often we can simply look back through those pages and figure out God's will for ourselves. Think of Scripture in this way as a human how-to manual. If you are being persecuted for example, then look to the Psalms of David. If you are struggling with indecision, then look to Paul's letters and epistles. You get the idea.
But we all face certain trials occasionally, where it feels as though the Lord has permitted us to go through more than we can bear. It then becomes normal to seek out advice from sources other than the written Word alone. We need to talk it through; we need to pray for trust.
How exactly can we trust God? Let's look at four ways that help us engage with His amazing and omnicient mind. Each rung on this spiritual trust ladder builds upon the previous one. And we begin with getting to know God as a sentient being. Not just some disembodied, supernatural force "up there somewhere," but as an actual agent of change in our lives. Really knowing Him means getting to know His heart, which in turn means spending time in Scripture. It is impossible to know the God of the Old and New testaments from prayer and emotions alone. We must understand what He said and when, so that we can gauge other people's advice against the Bible.
Second, in order to trust God, we need to know His intentions for us. We need to understand that He loves us not only as the church, but as individuals. He feels our pain when we suffer (remember that Jesus was both human and divine, subject to very real human suffering). One of my favorite pieces of Scripture regarding this is Jeremiah 29:11. It says, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." He loves us, guides us, and endows us with a supernatural hope.
Third, we can build trust in the Lord by surrendering control of our lives over to Him. Now for all those proud, strong-willed, independent people out there - I wish I had better news for you. But the fact of the matter is, that His ways are well above our ways. The only way this faith walk will work is to understand and admit that He knows what is best for us. And that means letting Jesus come into our lives and clean house a bit. To help us repent of sin, ask for forgiveness, and come into a saving relationship with Him. We don't get there on our own steam. Trust me, it just doesn't work. Full scale surrender is what works.
Finally, once these first three rungs are established, we must exercise patience while waiting on God. Doesn't sound like much fun, does it? It would be a lot easier if God were a giant ATM machine or a Google browser. Type in what we want, and then He kicks out an answer in thirty seconds or less. If only. But the truth is that our character is built up and edified when we wait on Him.
If the answer we are seeking is clear from Scripture, all the better. This is similar to instant gratification. But if not, then we get to work on building our four-rung ladder of trust. We get to know Him, understand His intentions, surrender control, and then wait on Him.
Years ago when I attended the University of Iowa as an undergrad, I found myself without enough money to pay for my semester's tuition. As I began to apply to banks for small loans; panic started to set in. I was financially short eight-hundred and ninety dollars, and the bill was coming due soon. As a struggling college student, this amount might as well have been a million dollars.
One day I received a mysterious check in the mail at the dormitory. Upon opening the envelope, I noticed a check for nine-hundred dollars from my grandparents' estate. It was an early payout from the will (my grandfather had passed away months earlier). The timing was too much to ignore, and it was the exact amount I needed at the time, plus tip!
It then occurred to me immediately that I had neglected to trust that God had my best outcome at heart. He still showed up at the right time, right place, and with the right portion. I think back every once in a while and ruminate on that experience. Did this kick off my faith journey thirty years ago? It probably added some fuel to the spiritual fire. But it wasn't until I was almost thirty-years-old that I began to actually trust God and seek Him. I started building the ladder.
He waited all those long years for me to thank Him for that check at college. He waits for you also, but it won't last forever. Someday we will take our last breath here on this planet. So seek after God and get to know Him now, while we still have the grace to do so. He is worth the journey, and fortunately He feels the same about you. How strong is that ladder?
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