Trusting God (period)

I’m really excited to have another opportunity to speak at a Women’s Retreat, in about a month, this time for my beloved church where Jeff and I each attended for 5-7 years before and after we were married.   It’s been four years now that we’ve been gone and often I reminisce of our sweet days there.  It’ll be a treat and I’m so thankful for this opportunity. 

I don’t want to give away all that I’m talking about (just in case you might be there!), but something I have been chewing on lately, that’s related, is the idea of trusting God for something.  I hear this a lot, along with believing God for something.  I’m trusting God for and then name a thing that we’re basically just really wanting.  I’ve caught myself doing this a lot–right now I’m trusting God for a job, for a place to live, for money to cover the cost of our baby, etc.  And I think that is really fine, I mean those are the things that I’m concerned about and we’re supposed to lay our cares before the Lord and trust Him with those things.  But I think there might be a subtle difference between trusting God with something and trusting God for something.

For example, if I’m trusting God with our living and job situation, it means that I’m trusting that whatever the outcome, His grace is sufficient and His character demands my faith and trust.  If I’m trusting God for a job, a house, etc. then I’m placing my own expectations on what I think God should do. It’s like I’m subtly twisting God’s arm saying, “Ok God, here’s my faith, now do what I want you to do.”  I’m afraid that I do this way more often that I even realize.

In Scripture, I think we have a few examples that can give us clarity.  First, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego.  They were about to be thrown into the fiery furnace and they trust God with their heated circumstances: “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from your hand, O king.  But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods.”  Basically, they’re saying, We’re not only trusting God for deliverance out of the fiery furnace, we trust God with our situation and He is God and can do whatever He pleases. 

Of course there are plenty of situations in Scripture where God speaks a promise and then His people believe Him for that thing.  Abraham believed God (sorta) for a son.  But even he faltered because again, when he started only focusing on believing God for something instead of trusting God with His circumstances, he started to build up expectations, which then led to the son of the flesh, Ishmael. 

Maybe some would say that my faith is faltering these days.  Perhaps. But I think it’s more that I’m finally starting to realize that believing God for something is really nothing more than making a wish list, then slapping a holy-sounding word like “belief” or “trust” on it to make my dreams come true.  The sad part is that I think this is the cause of so much of our disappointment with God.  I for one feel a little worn out, I feel like I’ve had one too many disappointments this year and I’m a little tired of it altogther. But I think it’s because of this, trusting God for something instead of trusting God with something.  I won’t lie, I still despearately want a job for us and a place to live and some semblance of normalcy.  But as best as I can, I’m setting my heart to not just trust God for the fulfillment of my own desires but to just trust God. Period.