Does anyone else struggle with this thing of trust like I do - or do I quiver alone with this whole issue of trusting? Even right down to this verse of Scripture: trusting in the Lord with ALL of your heart? Gosh, I become so discouraged with myself when my trust is not deeper than it is - even while loving the LORD with all of my heart. Anyone else sailing in this same boat with me?
Round and Round, Back and Forth, I go - doing this crazy dance with fear vs. trusting. Afraid to do this! Afraid to do that What do I fear? What do you fear? What do we fear which keeps a portion of ourselves bound in shackles of emotional bondage?
Some fears are good; they protect us from real and present dangers and harms. Other fears keep us from living our lives to the fullest in good and wholesome ways.
I ask my Lord and myself: "How can I love You, Lord, with all of my heart when I don't trust You with all of my heart?"
Driving the interstates with its crazy and reckless drivers; boarding a plan that may crash; spiders ... right down to the very smallest of those critters - why? WHY?
At a Women's Bible study yesterday, some of us identified with a lack of courage and a tendency to cowardice. WHY?
Right down at its core, we fear danger, harm and death. If not death itself, the painful transition just prior to death. We fear PAIN! And no one likes to hurt - to be in pain. Pain and hurt is a part of life in a fallen world. We will experience pain and hurt time and time again as we live out our lives. And we tend to pull away from potential threats that would cause us to experience more pain and hurt. We want to protect ourselves, and protect those whom we love.
As I continue to fight my own battles over my own fears, always aiming for a higher level of trust in my Lord, I use the Scriptures over and over again that speak to this whole issue of fear vs. trusting.
Over and over again, the Lord speaks to us through His Word. He will never leave us nor forsake us. I meditate on these verses, praying for trust and courage to increase and fear to decrease. It is a quest and a journey for me.
Some good Scriptures (among the many) you might wish to check out on your own:
Psalm 27:1
Isaiah 41:10
Isaiah 41:13
2 Timothy 1:7
Hebrews 13:5-6
I will leave you with one of my favorites:
Psalm 56:3-4 ~
When I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? (NIV)
For all of us who are locked up with fears, I pray for trust, courage, and an ever-deepening faith in Him Who gives us His Courage, His Protection, His Strength in the moments of our own weaknesses.
May all glory be unto You, Lord Jesus.
~ Amen ~
