Trust in the Lord - Robin Petty
Has there ever been a time of trouble in your life when God tried to give you peace and comfort, but you were so upset that you refused to accept it? Truth bomb right here; I have! My husband and I have recently been through a really difficult valley that did not end the way we wanted. We had prayed for about 14 years for something to happen, and it actually appeared that God had answered our prayer....but it didn't turn out the way we thought it was going to turn out. We were left with broken hearts and, to be honest, I found myself pretty angry at God for a few days. In fact, for a few days, I didn't talk to him much, if at all. I have since completely repented of that and gotten right with the Lord. He never turned His back on me, but I sure ignored Him for a few days, to my shame.
For a few days, God tried to get me to rest and He tried to give me peace, but I didn't want to accept it. I was heartbroken, angry and I just plain didn't understand what He was doing and why??? Hadn't I prayed almost constantly, plus fasted? Had I not asked many others to pray along with us for the situation? But it still didn't work out the way I wanted it to. To be honest, I still don't understand why things happened the way they did, but I do know there have been some lessons He wants me to learn through this.
#1. Just because I don't see the progress with my eyes, doesn't mean He not working. I've come to realize that I have trust issues. Big ones! Job was tested and went through trials I have never had to face, but in Job 13:15a he said, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him:” Job lost everything, but still chose to trust God. If Job can trust, I can trust...and so can you.
#2. When you've had a traumatic experience in your life, and God offers peace, comfort & rest, take it!!! Ephesians 14a says, “For he is our peace,”. At first, when God tried to give me peace and comfort in our situation, I was too upset to even accept it. I'm thankful that He doesn't give up on us, because in a few days, the Holy Spirit said to me, “You have been stressed far beyond what you even realized. Let me comfort you and give you rest. I have peace for you. You just need to take it. I'm all you need.” And when I finally listened, I felt such relief! It's amazing how comfortable we get in our misery sometimes. I could not believe how much better I felt. He truly knows exactly what we need.
#3. God has also had to show me that the answer to my situation is not me. Neither is it anyone or anything else on this earth. It's HIM. He has to fix this problem. Nothing and nobody else will. And he's fully capable of doing just that,in His time, in His way. He not only knows how to fix our problems, He already knows how it's all going to turn out and He can be trusted.
Proverbs 3:5,6 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” This verse has always been one of my favorites, but it's even more special to me now. God can be trusted. He loves us and He knows what is best for us. We may not understand why He does what He does and allows what He allows, but He will never let us down. I'm so glad that we can get through the hardest times of our lives because of Him. He will carry us through.