Growing Through Challenge - Trusting In The Father

March 25, 1977

Sometimes, while I am driving and considering possible opportunities at hand, there seems to be so many options open that it becomes confusing, yet if we look at all these options again, nothing seems to be truly right. How easily I become anxious and concerned, even doubtful and discouraged. In these moments I pull my car to the side of the road and really turn my whole future over to God. I then sense such complete peace about my future as I feel God saying in my spirit...

"Are you really willing to go anywhere I want you to go and do anything I want you to?" I say in my spirit that I truly am, and I sense that He might also continue saying;

" Dear one, if you are committed to me like that, then you can rest assured that I am committed to you to see that you get to that right place of service. Leave it to me."

May 4, 1977

"Dear Father, it is so good to be learning more and more how to really trust You! You know how the anxieties try to push their way in, and how they try to force me into frantic action, but, dear Father, I do want to learn not just how to talk and preach about trusting you... I also want to learn to really do it, and I want to be a demonstration to others of how trustworthy You are!

Yet, in order to accomplish these things in my life, I have a suspicion that You may allow things to get pretty desperate from our viewpoint... but keep reminding me to just keep trusting You in relaxed abandonment... the life you have given me, I place in your hands... in prosperity or need, earthly success or failure, I ask that you gain glory and praise through me!"

June 30, 1977

Is it really possible, at our level of faith and spiritual growth, to trust absolutely? I wonder. And if I cannot, why can I trust at all?

The book of Proverbs spoke to my heart as I read, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths."

I almost stopped reading this morning before I found this in the book of Psalms; "Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord." I'm so glad I read on.
I believe that there are no degrees of trustworthiness with God... He is either absolutely trustworthy or He is not trustworthy at all! I am staking everything on the belief the He is not only trustworthy, but also faithful and true to His word. If there is any area in our life that we cannot trust to Him, the question is... Why?

So why do I trust, even if my humanity will not let me trust absolutely? Because with the degree I can trust, I trust in God whom I believe to be absolutely trustworthy. Any limits on my part are more than compensated by His part.

August 4, 1977

"Even the darkness is light to you, oh Lord" (Psalms 139:12) So why do I need the light to rejoice (if God is all that He can be... in light or darkness)? Oh, but surely, the light is good to see for a change...

When those stressful times come, when all our hopes are dashed against the rocks, when we need most to trust in a God who functions in our behalf whether it is in darkness or light, why do we yet despair? And when the darkness turns to light and provision is provided for our needs, we rejoice, but how quickly we forget about His blessings and become engrossed in 'our' accomplishments and 'our' possessions, forgetting that all our blessings are "gifts in the dark times" from our Great Provider!

What might the Father say regarding the times of 'darkness' versus 'light', 'poverty' versus 'plenty', and those times when nothing seems to work right... when everything we do seems to fail... when every endeavor seems to leave us in a place of want and need? Perhaps He would say...

"Dear one, how quickly you forget. How you stress when the clouds of darkness cover the landscape of your lives! You run from place to place, knocking on every door, desperately searching for resolve to the inevitable and endless problems of daily living. Why do you forget that I have promised to supply all your needs from the great riches of my provision! In times of want or times of plenty, exercise your faith and just trust, for even in the 'eleventh hour', when the night is the darkest, stand still... for my provision is at hand. Pray, and trust."

January 25, 1983

What important truths could I concentrate on from day to day?
     1. "Life is but a day's work... do it well". Forget the "grand plans" for awhile, with all the concern and pressures they bring. Instead, bask in the satisfaction of each honest day's effort (regardless of the immediate results of that effort.)
     2. Practice the freedom of a life of complete and constant trust in God, exemplified so well by Jesus who showed...
          no fear
          no worry
          no introspection
          no depression
but cheerfully facing the daily and hourly events with the long-distance view of our eternal career.
     3. Try not to dwell on the negative aspects in those around me, but consciously and thoughtfully give thanks for those people... and their positive qualities.

As I practice this, I am experiencing an incredible peace and joy... even in the face of difficult circumstances. It is awesome to experience the life-changing power of these simple truths.

"Learn how to transform the difficulties of time into the triumphs of eternity!" _unknown

June 2, 1985

Father, is there hope for me to live a less fragmented life? Is there hope that I could ever again focus the gifts and abilities that you have given to me into this one life? Perhaps he would say...

"Dear one, there will always be more things that need doing than time to do them in. After you have done your best at planning, relax... and quit worrying. Never lose even one moment's present joy fretting over future commitments or things that will have to be left undone. Trust me, and delight in the time you do have to give each present task."

August 19, 1987

"Dear one, when material concerns and burdens come, the important thing... from the eternal perspective... is not relief from the difficult situation, but rather that you are learning to trust me with peace and serenity in the situation. Every time anxious thoughts comes to mind, just relax... turn the outcomes over to me... then go back to what you are doing, savoring the joy of the here and now."

March 17, 1988

Somehow, I feel the Spirit of God would be saying to me... regarding my daily tasks, as I learn to trust in Him more and more, and seek the illumination of the Indwelling Spirit...

"Such spirit-guided and divinely illuminated mortals, while they yet tread the lowly paths of toil and in human faithfulness, perform the duties of their earthly assignments... as though they were already doing service for God in the eternities to come."

I must remember that my earthly life is not something to just endure on my way to those eternal assignments in the Father's service, rather this is my first assignment... for every common and ordinary day is filled with eternal significance!

June 14, 1988

Remember each morning... today is a day of sublime uncertainties and challenges in the grand adventure of faith, but have the assurance each moment of the Father saying, "I am with you... I will help." Relax in that trust, with complete abandon in His loving over-care.

December 29, 1988

This task and this moment is not something to just "get through", but is something to be savored in His presence, doing His will, trusting Him with the results. God might say to our hearts... "I will strengthen you... I will help you... remember I am the God for whom nothing is impossible!"

May 16, 1992

Perhaps the Father would say...

"Receive every hour as my gift. Some of those hours you get to savor on a task of your choosing... then there are others where you have the high privilege of giving service to someone of My choosing. Remember, I am always there and helping you in every task. Rely less on planning, and just receive with joy what, and who I send your way."

March 17, 1995

How wonderful it is to have gotten to the point that my trust in God overshadows the outcome of life's situations. "Father, help me to remember this lesson in so many other fretful and anxious moments."

December 31, 1995

Father, as I stand on this threshold of this last half of the last decade of the last century in this millennium, please help me to better learn to just receive with joy the daily work that comes from your hand, having a fuller confidence that my future is held in loving trust within Your omnipotent over-care.

Also, help me to be more discerning regarding the work I take on, so that I find the inner sense of fulfillment of knowing that each day... no matter how much is left undone, I will at least accomplish Your will this day.

May 27, 2002

Today, as I struggle with the business challenges at hand, I remember Your very personal over-care and eternal perspective, and I sincerely say... in faith... "Thank you," and trust Your direction for the future. Please help me to find the same joy in my work as I trust Your out-working absolutely. Help me to remember that if I can trust You at all, I can trust You in all. The day's challenging circumstances just help me to again have the opportunity to totally rely on You!

September 17, 2003

Father, as I think of all the things involved in our present life-situations, it all seems more and more impossible to untangle. The thought occurred to me today that all of this can be a point of encouragement to me, because now I have moved into the area of Your specialty... the impossible! Thank You for your involvement in the details of our lives... far beyond my wildest imagination... and that we can trust You to resolve our most tangled problems.

October 31, 2009

As the pressures and decisions of life press in on me during my morning quiet-time so often… today God’s Sprit seemed to impress on me, “Don’t go there in your thinking yet. Instead come to Me first with an undistracted mind… and I will help you with all those other things later."