I could hear her tears as she told me her frustrations and fears. I held the phone close to my ear straining to hear every word, and I silently prayed to God to grant me the right answer to her questions.
I wanted to fix it. That’s what we do, isn’t it? We want to fix the problems. But sometimes the fix is out of our reach.
I prayed before I called. We had set this call up in advance because of our busy schedules; she had also sent me an e-mail before hand preparing me. I knew before I made the call I did not have answers. But I took a deep breath, asked for God’s empowering grace and wisdom and dialed her number.
As we talked about the issues she faced, she confessed, “I haven’t told you this, but I’m mad at God. I feel like He promised something and then took it away. It seems He wants me to be lonely and miserable all my life.”
And there it was! There was the root to her fears and struggle. She was mad at God. She didn’t trust Him.
I almost said, “Hallelujah!” Not because she didn’t trust Him, but because now we could get to the soul healing.
“I’ve been there,” I replied. “I remember the day I didn’t get a job I desperately wanted and thought I needed. I felt like God wanted me to be miserable. I did not trust He had a better plan for me. Years later I saw that better plan.”
I also told her about the time I was so angry with God I couldn’t pray or listen to worship music. That time I felt He had gone back on His word. What I felt had been promised ended in loss.
“How are you so secure in His love?” she asked. “What book have you read or scripture? What’s helped you?”
I tried to think of a book or something, but no book has helped me. What’s helped me is just living, experiencing His faithfulness time and time again. I’ve found that it’s a choice. On the day He healed me of my anger, I had raised my arms to Him and worshiped–surrendered to the pain, surrendered to trust His goodness even when I couldn’t see good in the circumstances.
Trust
It’s a four letter word for some people.
Depending on our experiences, we either easily trust people, and thus it’s easier to trust God because it’s our personality, or we don’t trust people at all, and therefore, it’s hard for us to trust God. If we’ve been hurt by people it’s harder to trust God, especially if those people were our parents.
It all depends on our heart filters.
Last week as we studied how to live as children of light, we learned that we must live by faith, not in the futility of our thinking (Ephesians 4:17).
In the New Testament, many of the verses translated with the word “faith” or “believe” come from a Greek word, Pistis, which means . . . you got it . . . trust. Every time you read the words “faith” or “believe”, switch it out for the word” trust.” It makes a huge difference in the meaning of the verses. Here’s an example:
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only son, so that whoever believes (trust) in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
It’s one thing to believe in Christ, but it’s another to trust Who He was and why He died, and what He’s done for us. Trusting takes our faith from our heads to our hearts.
The enemy works very hard to make us doubt the Lord’s goodness and love for us. When we feel those thoughts coming, we must take them captive and claim the scriptures we are studying this week.
[bctt tweet=”The enemy works very hard to make us doubt the Lord’s goodness and love for us. #trust” username=”wordsbyandylee”]
Jot these down in your journal or take a screen shot. Or print of the printable with the scriptures and extra prompts and questions. Get cozy. Get ready to study with the One who loves you more than you can imagine. The One you can trust.
Join us on the Bite of Bread daily broadcast this week. Friend me or follow on Facebook, and I will be Live at 8:20 ET Tuesday thru Friday. I’m taking Labor Day off! :)
Sneak Peek
Joshua 1:9: Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Romans 15:13: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 13:5: But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.
Psalm 20:1: May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
Proverbs 3:5,6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight
John 14:1: Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me.
Psalm 19:10: The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.
It’s a prayer away
Pray to trust Him. It will be one of the best prayers you ever pray.
Digging Deep,
Andy
Hi Andy, I’m enjoying tuning in when I can. I “trust” you are listening to the Holy Spirit, so I wouldn’t change a thing. One way or another, I can’t wait to get your Ruth book. Our ladies life group is beginning a study of the book of Ruth on Sunday mornings, so I’m sure it will be a great resource. Thank you and blessings!
Hey Penny, thanks for the input! I would love to know how my Ruth study adds to the one they are doing. Blessings! You are entered. :)
For me, it is perfect. You seem to focus on whatever my need is OR an area I could grow in–thank you for your insight. My knowledge and growth is a reflection of what you teach.
Thanks for your input Debbie! I’m so glad you are learning a lot!! Yay God! You are entered. :)
Tamara described exactly how I feel about your Bite of Bread reading plan. I LOVE it just the
way it is! Thank you for asking if we would like to change anything. That’s really kind of you, Andy.
However, I believe God put it on your heart to do it just the way you have. And THAT WAY, is
perfect enough for me. I love you and I miss seeing you! :-)
Hey Diane! Thank you sweet friend. I am going to keep it just the way it is! Miss you too. Let’s get together. You’re entered!
[…] for the New Year and a Skype session or coffee if you live in the Wilmington area! Just comment on Monday’s Bite of Bread post to be entered. I am announcing the winner next Monday (January […]
I kind of like just the one verse. I already tend to read the before and after verses. But if I just have the one verse, I find it easier to stay focused.
Hey Gloria! Thanks for stopping by and leaving your thoughts about the Bit of Bread! That helps me so much! You are entered! :)
I like it the way it is because it is bite-sized. I will often read the surrounding chapters to get the greater context and seek The Spirit for key questions God is seeking to ask me about the Word you are sharing. Keep it bite-sized. Let’s have coffee sometime.
Thanks Elisabeth! That’s a great way to study. I’d love to get coffee. :) You’re entered!
Hey Elisabeth! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts about the Bite of Bread. I would love to have coffee with you. :) You’re entered!
Happy to have discovered you through the Planting Roots link up today! Excited to see more! Blessings!
Hi Liz! Thanks for stopping by! I’m glad we found each other too! You’re entered into the giveaway!
Hi Andy! Thanks so much for linking up with Planting Roots this week! i love your broadcasts just the way they are. Brings a smile to my face to see you smile in the mornings. You are such an encouragement to others!
Thanks Jen! I was so excited to link up with PLanting Roots. Y’all are part of my peeps I haven’t gotten to be around in a long time. Looking forward to more link ups. And thanks for the feedback. You’re entered into the giveaway.
Great bite Andy! I would love to see a question with the bites. It can be helpful when someone poses a question that we may not have thought to ask ourselves. I love when a question I think will have a short answer ends up being a multi-page journal entry. Going through a chapter at a time would be great. A wise Hermeneutics professor once said we need to read before and after verses (and the intro page to each book) to make sure we properly interpret the context of the verse. You’re doing a great job! I enjoy these bites and the insight the Holy Spirit provides through you.
Hey Annie! Thanks for your thoughts. I’ll work on the question idea. You’re entered!
I love it the way it is… one verse, one bite, at a time. Going deep into the Word through that one verse gives me something to meditate on at work. It is amazing how many times He takes what you have brought to us in the morning and refocuses my attention to it time and again during the rest of the day. :)
Thanks for that feedback Tamara! It’s so fun to know God uses it to speak to you all day. It lingers in me too and I get more and more excited about the life in the Word. You’re entered!
Love the idea of putting the word trust in when we read the words believe or faith. Really like it in John 3:16! Great blog post!
Thanks Kori! It changes everything. Thanks for stopping by!You are entered into the drawing. :)
Kori, Andy is a beautiful servant! Her Mary Like Me book rocked my world :-)
Thanks Jen! What sweet words. Love that Mary “rocked your world”.