Trust...

"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." Proverbs 3:5

Life is so unpredictable. Every day it seems things don't go as planned. It doesn't help that I am a chronic worrier. I am prone to wander as the old hymn goes...

But God has really been working in my heart and I want to share this with you as way of encouragement.

Life is unpredictable but there is one constant. The Lord of the universe. He is the beginning and the end. He is the only thing that remains the same. This means his character is the same as it always has been and ever will be.

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." Revelation 22:13

"...You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end."
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭1:10-12‬

"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever."      Isaiah 40:8

The Lord can be relied upon because he never sleeps and is always working. This gives us the freedom to lay down and sleep without worry. We can put our fears to rest at his feet.

"Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep."
Psalm 121:4

"In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone O LORD, make me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:8

We should not rely on our own understanding. The Bible commands that we "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, lean not on thine own understanding..." (Prov. 3:5) He could have just left it at "Trust in the Lord" but we are commanded to trust him with ALL of our heart. There is no room for leaning on one's own understanding... in fact, that would negate the very act of trusting in him.

I do this all the time. I often think that if I don't worry about something, I am not preparing myself in case it does happen. I also try to work out everything that happens or could happen in my life so as to figure out what God is up to and prepare myself for the worst.

This is not trusting in God, it is leaning on my own understanding, which is based on fleeting emotion, lacking reason, and functioning from a tiny human brain. God's ways are higher! Who can understand them? No one...

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

  For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts"

Isaiah 55:8-9

But we can trust him because he is good.

"The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works."
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭145:17‬

 "The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he."
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭32:4‬

"You are good and do good..." Psalm 119:68

"Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
    Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!" Psalm 34:8

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

"The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he."
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭32:4‬

There are three things I always come back to:

1) God does not work for me. I belong to him. He makes the plans
2) I should be glad in that because he is better at being a good God than anyone else, including myself.
3) Rejoice always, Pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:16)

So often we treat God like he is our genie. Like we can bend his will to ours. This is so twisted. God wants us to bend our will to HIS. Every day, when I pray, I always say "Lord, help me to love your will more than my will. Align my heart with your will." That should be our priority, and it still is the hardest thing for me to pray. God's idea of "good" may not be our idea of "good". We need to trust that he knows best.

At the same time, we are told to pray without ceasing. This means ALL the time, about everything! We must fearlessly come before his throne and ask for all of our needs to be met and tell him all of our anxieties. It is the only way to "cast all your anxieties on the Lord" (1 Peter 5:7)

  "...do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Philippians 4:6

 And you know what? God gives peace. Peace that surpasses all understanding.

"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phil 4:7

As a very anxious person, I can tell you that God does provide peace in times of anxiety and trouble. He is so good. It truly does baffle me. I can have peace in him... even in the midst of chaos.

God also fills our hearts with joy. Joy is different than happiness. Oh, it is so much better. Joy does not come and go in the fleeting sense that happiness does. Joy is not even based upon our emotions... it is withstanding. It results from putting our trust in the Lord.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." Romans 15:13

Let's break that down really quick.
"...God of hope"- He is a God of hope. There is hope in him. Hope that is eternal.
"...fill you with all joy and peace"- Joy and peace. Unshakable gifts from God.
"... in believing" - Receiving joy and peace is a direct result that follows trusting in God and his promises. You cannot have joy and peace without trusting him.
"...so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." Only with the Holy Spirit can we trust in God and abound in hope.

 I pray that this post was an encouragement to you. It is, by far, my biggest struggle and the area God has been working on me most. I do not know his ways, but I can trust that they are good because he is good.

Lastly, it needs to be said that this only applies to believers. If you have not placed your trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Hear me. You need him. We are all lost, wretched sinners in need of reconciliation with the Father. Jesus Christ paid the price so that, when we trust in him, we are seen as holy before the Father. We are forgiven totally of all past/present/future sins, we are clothed in Christ's righteousness, we stand justified and spoken for by Christ who intercedes for us, and we are adopted into the family of God. All you need to do is believe this gospel. It is the good news that can save your soul and transform your world.

"...because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9

xoxo, A Law Student's Wife