A greater degree of trust
It’s always been difficult to know who to trust, perhaps more so now because of online scams. But even before those came along, I fell victim to a couple of scam artists. Some people are just really good at getting others to open their wallets by telling a story while flashing sad puppy dog eyes. Fortunately, I lost only a few dollars, but sadly, others have lost much more. Most of us have become wary to the point of not trusting anyone, online or in person.
Sometimes we can’t even trust ourselves. We humans have a large capacity for self-deception, even when it comes to spiritual matters. I’ve been telling myself that I’m trusting God in a situation but have been wondering lately if I’m trusting him enough or still trying to work it out by myself. Sometimes I want to pray: I trust, help my lack of trust.
How do we completely trust God with everything that’s important to us, including our own lives, when experience tells us we can’t trust anyone? Usually we find out we can trust someone by observing how they act, if they keep their word and if we can depend on them. It’s the same with God – we look at who he is, how he deals with and treats his people and how he has kept his promises, through answered prayer and through history. Even knowing these things about God, we still sometimes give him our trust grudgingly, or at least not completely.
Learning to trust God isn’t simply a one-time decision but is more of a process, as are most aspects of being a Christian. I find I have to make the decision and the choice to trust him every day and sometimes several times during a single day. God can be trusted – we are the ones who have to go through the process of keeping our eyes on Jesus and asking him to guide us to a deeper level of trust.
Study by Tammy Tkach
First published on 8 November 2022, at www.gemsofgodsgrace.wordpress.com
About the writer:
Tammy Tkach is the Assistant Pastor of the Eugene, Oregon, USA congregation. She is a speaker and writer, and publishes a blog at www.gemsofgodsgrace.wordpress.com
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