trust known God

I will try to address the following points in this posting:

1) We are worriers, afraid of what life will bring. We are unable to trust in Jesus
2) “Take up cross and follow” is tantamount to guaranteed pain and suffering
3) Why pray for people when we should be accepting His will
4) Can we change an immutable God?
5) He knows from all eternity what will play out.

I believe all of us struggle with these questions and are truly seeking resolution to them. Maybe, in some way, this post will provide you a glimpse into these questions and yourself, as well. The remainder of this, will try to address each of these points, individually. HOWEVER, realize that all of these points tie in together and should not be thought of as being separate issues. They are looking at different aspects of the same concern, TRUSTING JESUS.

Do you worry very much? Are you afraid of what life will bring? Ask yourself, “Why”? Why are we afraid? What do we really fear? What answer(s) do you come up with? Nobody wants pain and sorrow. We don’t go out in search of it. But we don’t shape our life primarily to avoid it. It is, what it is, It comes, when it comes. (This has nothing to do with fatalism). To push against it only heightens the pain and worry. We may feel we are not able to trust in Jesus, because He is asking us to take up our cross. We worry and are afraid, because we don’t know what is coming, and if it will bring us pain or suffering. So we are fearful. We are fearing a cross that a loving Jesus knows will help us, in some way. We don’t know the way to carry it, but that same loving Jesus also said, “I am the Way…[to carry it]”.

You fear that taking up the cross guarantees pain and suffering. And???? Or, may I should say, “So”??? Once again, are you shaping your life to avoid the unknown. How much freer you would be, if you just say, “I trust you Jesus. If it is too much for me, I know You will either lighten it, or strengthen me. In the meantime, I will live my life trying to love as You taught.”

The next three items really address what prayer is. Why pray for people? If we are praying so that something will change, that night becomes day, that cold becomes warm, that sick become well – then aren’t we trying to play God? I want this to happen. I will pray to God and He will change it accordingly. You are right, He is immutable. He is unchangeable. He is not changing His mind. But you, who pray to Him, you who live in a world that does change, are praying to Him for something to happen. From all eternity, He saw my sister, Eleanor’s sickness. He allowed it to happen. Why? Does He not love Eleanor? Did He want her or us to suffer more? That doesn’t sound like a loving God, to me. But, we prayed for cures. We prayed for her relief. We prayed that she would have the strength to bear it. And she did for 20 years. Maybe God’s will wasn’t about Eleanor’s sickness, but by it…. WE PRAYED. Maybe the sickness was the requirement to get some of us to pray, to feel her pain, to understand the sufferings of others. God is not changing. But He is using events that man brings about, to squeeze good out of them. If I learned anything from my own life it is this: “God writes straight with crooked lines.”

So, we are not changing an immutable God. We are asking for the strength to do His will. We are asking that He give that strength to others, when they need it and to the world, which desperately needs it. We pray to become united with Him. We pray that our will can, in some way, be strong enough to say and mean, “Thy will be done”. Let me act and live in the way that You have seen me capable of living and not as I am, right now. To be in tune, so to speak, with Him, so that we, like a tuning fork, vibrate and move with the same feelings that He has.

Yes, He knows from all eternity what would happen. He knew and saw all the twisted turns of my life. He allowed me my free will. But… He took those struggles, along with other people’s struggles and brought about my present life. One that brings me closer and much more aware of His presence.

Please believe Him, He has a unique PLAN for you, just like He has for all of us. It is not too late for us to wonder what it is, nor to find it. He sees you reading this, now. Hopefully, these words carry to you, what He wants to be said. I mentioned this yesterday, but it bears repeating. Most of the Apostles were just fishermen. Men, living a simplistic life style, who trusted and believed in Jesus, and wound up having miracles, performed through them. All they did was follow the plan that Jesus had for them. The key to finding it, however, is to trust Him. Pray for the courage to say, “Lord, I surrender myself to you. Tale care of everything”.

 ALL OF US need to hear this from time to time. ALL OF US have these doubts, worries and fears. And finally, ALL OF US are trying to grow in our trust of God. We cannot do it by ourselves. We must pray for the gift of being able to surrender to Jesus.