Where Are We Going?
Today, we're going to talk about trust.
Eek. I know.
No, like really. I knowwwww.
Let's just say, the concept of trust, well, it will keep you regular!
So glad you decided to keep reading and stay with me on this. Now, let's just go a little deeper.
I've recently been thinking about this little four letter word, Lord.
Lord
Hmm, what does that mean?
By definition, it means being a master or ruler over something or someone else. If you rule over something or someone, it means you have authority and power and influence over it or them. You are in control.
And we know, there cannot be two masters. There cannot be two in control at one time. It's like the old cartoon of CatDog. One going one way and the other facing the other direction.
Yet, that's how I sometimes live.
It's not CatDog, but maybe more CanGod.Okay, bad joke. I admit it. I almost erased it, but I think there's a point being made there, hopefully an illustration, so I'm going to leave it.
Many will recognize God as God - maybe the creator of the universe or the One in the highest heaven, but few know Him as Lord. Few submit to Him as Ruler and the authority of their lives. Few give Him control of their lives.
Do I?
Maybe you need to ask yourself that same question. And sit with it for a few moments, maybe a few days.
It's a big question with big ramifications. But also big comfort.
If He is Lord of my life, it means He is in control. He's Captain of this ship and He is responsible for where we go and what happens. If I am in control, I am responsible for where I go and what happens.
For me, that thought serves itself with a full dose of anxiety and panting sweats. I do not want to be responsible for that. Yet, I still try to finagle things I can control.
I can't have both. I have to either surrender to God and trust His character and rest in Him taking on the responsibility, or I get to keep hold of the reins but accept full responsibility when I get bucked off.
Because, let's be real. It's not a matter of if but when and when again. I am not fit to hold these reins. My hands are not calloused. I do not have the experience needed. I do not have the ability to see ahead. I only see in part.
And, I bet you could say the same thing about yourself.
So where does that lead us?
To a big question about...
Trust
Trust without borders.
How, just how???? How do we trust what we cannot see?
Let's look at a couple people who have done this before.
First man who comes to mind for me is Abe. Well, first, he's known as Abram. Then, his name becomes Abraham. But, we're going to call him Abe today.
Abe is told to take his take his family and go.
Go where?
Yep, he had the same question for God.
God's response, well, you're not going to like it.
"Go...to the land I will show you." - Genesis 12:1
Uh, how about a quick game of 20 Questions, God? Ten questions? One little hint?
God hasn't been saying those exact words to me lately, but each time I come before Him, I keep feeling two words impressed upon my heart. "Trust Me."
As in, Candace, trust Me to open doors that need to be opened. Trust Me to lead you. You don't need to know everything right now. I am with you and I will lead you. That is enough.
Abe trusted God without borders. He didn't know where He was going but He knew who was leading Him and that was enough to pick up his whole family, all of his livestock and go where God was leading.
Why Doesn't God Tell Us Where We're Going?
To understand why God may not tell us where we're going, there's one man we need to fix our eyes on.
The only person who truly knew where He was going - the full extent of where He was going - was Jesus. The night before being betrayed, He was in a garden.
How beautiful is that? The promise that started in a garden is now in the process of being fulfilled in the stillness of a garden.
He kneels under a tree and prays.
And weeps.
To the point of sweating blood, this moment for Jesus is thoroughly agonizing on every level - physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. He pleads to God,
"Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me." - Luke 22:42
He knew what was ahead. He knew He would have to descend into the pit of hell, and He knew the details of what this would be. He saw all of it.
Yet, He does something remarkable, something completely un-human. In our human might, we could not do this. This next breath required something beyond the human constraints. It required supernatural power. He submits,
"Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done." - Luke 22:42
Let's sit here with this for just a moment longer.
He hears every harrowing detail of the mockery and hateful words that would soon be sent His way. He feels every thorn and scrape and pierce in His side and nail through His hands and feet. He sees the pit of hell before Him.
But this is not all.
He hears something else, too. He remembers hearing the words of His Father saying, "This is my Son, in whom I am well pleased." He hears the cries of the restless hearts before Him and there with Him now and the hearts to come. He feels the weight of a world without a hope, without redemption. He sees the brokenness and sin.
And He trusts.
He is swinging for the fence here. He is out on the farthest limb. His act of obedience extends beyond anything we could ever fathom.
You see, God did not send His Son and at the same time revoke free will. No, God is love and He wants us to love Him, freely without obligation.
Jesus chose to die on the cross with the hope that even one soul might be saved. Sure, He had followers and disciples and He had healed many and performed many, many miracles during His time on earth, but there's still free will. There's still the chance that He may go to the cross and everyone may still choose to forsake Him.
His trust in the Father is without borders, without conditions.
Maybe, like Abraham, we're called to trust God in different ways in our lives and we don't know where He's taking us. He may be leading us to close one door and the next door He has not yet opened.
Ah, we just want to know!
Let's remember the Red Sea and how He did not lead the Israelites there and then forget them. No, He made a way - He did the impossible! And He's not running out of miracles any time soon, friend. We're in good hands.
And I'm beginning to wonder, maybe not knowing all the details of where He's leading is His abundant grace towards us.
If I could see as Jesus did and see the pit of hell, I would not have the courage to pray those words, "Not my will but yours be done."
Maybe His grace is showered over us in the not knowing. As we grow in our trust in Him - as we take the next step and answer that small nudge on our hearts - He shows us the next step and then, the next.
He is the light unto our feet. Isn't it interesting that it's not the light unto our road?
He doesn't light up the entire walkway or road and say, "Let's go!"
No, He lights the area around our feet. He shows us what we need to be able to take the next step and He invites us to trust Him to do it again.
Friend, I'm lifting up big prayers for you. I know this trust thing is hard. It's hard because it requires us to die to self. And, I am selfish. I want to hold onto the reins because I want to make sure my life stays comfortable.
But, friend, God didn't send Jesus to the cross so we could be comfortable. Jesus died and rose again so we could be saved!
Let's seek strength knowing He's not calling us to do something He hasn't already done. He's modeled trust without borders for us and He invites us to call Him Lord. Let's find joy in the grace given to us in the not knowing and peace in the shift of responsibility when we let go of our need for control. Let's find rest when we know Him as both God and Lord of our lives.
I have a feeling there's someone you know who needs to read this, too. Send it their way. Don't fear their response, just send it with a note of how God spoke to you as you read it and trust God to take it from there.
The good life, well it starts with a good day. Then another. Then another. Let's choose to live #TheGoodDay one day at a time.
I love hearing from you, so go ahead. Leave a comment. Be brave. Maybe your comment will speak life into someone else!
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