Deacon of Maturity
October 2013
In God We (sort of) Trust
Remember learning to swim? Right away the instructor helps you float on your back. This exercise rarely comes easily—it requires us to deny every instinct for self-preservation and to trust completely in our instructor. We would rather the instructor let us do things our way! We want to feel like we’re in control, and do things that make sense to us. Floating on our back requires us to relax, relinquish control, and most of all to trust.
God recently showed me issues I have in trusting Him. Oh, I can trust God when there’s nothing else I can do about a given situation. But it’s the trusting God when I can do something, but shouldn’t that’s my challenge. From my pride springs an earnest desire to help those I love—I want to fix their problems for them, or spare them present and future pain. But pride is pride, and I realize that I have usurped God’s place many times even with the best intentions.
Difficulty trusting isn’t just being a little fearful or uneasy about what might happen. Pride is at the root of it all. It was pride that made Eve and Adam want to be wise apart from God. It was pride that made that Israelites in the desert rebel against God because they wanted what He offered, but they wanted it on their terms. And it is pride that makes me say I trust God, but then try to interfere and make things happen on my own (Proverbs 3:7). Even Jesus was tempted to achieve God’s plan apart from the way the Father wanted Him to. Thankfully Jesus overcame that temptation.
Trust is a Decision
I’ve concluded that trusting God requires a conscious decision from me over and over. When I floated on my back, I repeatedly struggled and relaxed before I gradually discovered the sensation of floating. I’m still a terrible swimmer (literally and figuratively!), but I have decided to trust God in my life and in the lives of those I love (Proverbs 3:5-6). He is my life guard!