Trust

God says:

"And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You." Psalm 9:10

You can always rejoice if you choose to trust God instead of dwell upon your circumstances. In fact, rejoicing comes as a direct result of trusting in God! "For our heart rejoices in Him, Because we trust in His holy name." Psalm 33:21

"Commit your way to the LORD. Trust also in Him, and He will do it." Psalm 37:5

"How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust, And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood." Psalm 40:4

"When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You." Psalm 56:3

"Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah." Psalm 62:8

"Those who trust in the LORD Are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever." Psalm 125:1

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding." Proverbs 3:5

People say:

"If we wholly trust an interest to God, we must keep our hands off it; and He will guard it for us better than him; fret not yourself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass. Things may seem to be going all wrong, but He knows as well as we; and He will arise in the right moment if we are really trusting Him so fully as to let Him work in His own way and time. There is nothing so masterly as inactivity in some things, and there is nothing so hurtful as restless working, for God has undertaken to work His sovereign will." A.B. Simpson

“We're never so vulnerable than when we trust someone - but paradoxically, if we cannot trust, neither can we find love or joy." Walter Anderson

"Trust and worry cannot go together." Hannah Whitall Smith

"God will never, never, never let us down if we have faith and put our trust in Him. He will always look after us. So we must cleave to Jesus. Our whole life must simply be woven into Jesus." Mother Teresa

"Every evening I turn my troubles over to God - He's going to be up all night anyway." Donald J. Morgan

I say:

Similarly to how it is frightening to pray for patience, it can also be really scary to trust both God and people. We know our own ability (or lack there of) to follow through, make ends meet, or get something done, so it's a whole lot easier to depend on yourself. But when you trust another, you step into the unknown. Trusting creates vulnerability. Trusting puts you on a ledge. Trusting involves risk of being let down, hurt, or damaged.

Imagine you're setting out to go on a long awaited family vacation. You've been driving out west for hours now, and with each increasing mile, you near what you have been anticipating for so long. After about a dozen bathroom breaks, three million "Are we there yet's," and just a few too many wrong turns, you see a sign indicating just how close to the Grand Canyon you are. You pull into the parking lot next to a lime green 1999 Dodge Neon and catch a glimpse of the canyon. Feelings of fear replace feelings of excitement as your mind creates every irrational way you could somehow land yourself at the bottom of the mile-deep hole in the earth. So instead of venturing away from the safety of your vehicle, you remain inside your car where you're sure the seat won't give way. If you were to leave the safety of your car and make your way toward the ledge of the canyon, you increase your risk of getting hurt or becoming more fearful. Trust must increase as distance decreases and as distance increases, beauty increases. It is no different when trusting God.

Remain where you are, depending on yourself, making your own decisions, planning your own life. Remain where you are, writing your story, leading the way, staying safe. Remain where you are, sacrificing bliss and freedom and blessings in abundance. Remain where you are, forsaking the Cross, denying your Savior. Remain where you are.

Or, step out of the car, putting yourself at risk the cause of Christ. Step out of the car and step into the beauty and adventure the Warrior-Poet Jesus Christ is offering you if you only trust Him. And keep in mind that it is God Almighty that we can choose to put our trust in. Trusting in ourselves is like leaning on a single strand of Dollar Store dental floss to keep us from falling into the Grand Canyon. Trusting in God is like letting the wings of an eagle support us and take us deep into the canyon's depth--each swoop, dip, and curve will send your stomach flying, but to God be the glory, the view is immaculate.