Morning Devotional

September  13, 2005
"Just Trust Me" (Part 2)     
    by Don Emmitte

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The LORD is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O LORD, have never abandoned anyone who searches for you. Sing praises to the LORD who reigns in Jerusalem. Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds. (Psalm 9:9-11 NLT).

Yesterday this series began on the word “trust” as it occurs in the Bible. The point was made that we must choose to trust in the God of the Bible. As a minister, I meet so many people who are struggling with life and can’t find a place to turn for answers. I know, through the Bible and experience that Christ is sufficient for all their needs, that He alone holds all the answers to the problems of life, and that, by faith, they need to trust in Christ alone. I watch many times, however, as people choose other methods to try and solve their dilemmas. Of course, this is always a dead-end path and the person continues to struggle.

I will not to pretend to know all the reasons why one person chooses and another rejects the truth of the Bible, but I do know this. The more a person knows about God, the more that person will understand and actually like the person of God. God is very likeable. (Please, I mean no irreverence or disrespect in that statement.) God will stand the test of time in being faithful. His love truly does endure forever. God loves the unlovable. He gives mercy and grace to sinners. He mends broken hearts. If you and I will ever take the time to get to know the God who created the universe, we will love Him more and more.

I know that we sometimes feel as though God is restricting our freedom. However, the opposite is true. He is merely directing us within the view he alone possesses. Last week we met Kyle, Brandy, and Faith and Logan for an early supper at a nearby restaurant. The kids are getting old enough now that they like to walk by themselves. However, they are not old enough to be able to protect themselves from the many dangers that exist in an open environment like the parking lot of the restaurant! So, we insisted that they hold hands while they walked beside us. At first they struggled a bit against the loss of their “freedom.” However, once they saw that they could go at their own pace just about anywhere they wanted, they found the security of holding hands to be a good thing. They stopped resisting and started walking. Their knowledge overcame their feelings.

I wonder how much wasted energy and time you have spent struggling against the protective hands of God, as he desired to guide you through dangers of life? Have you been trusting God lately? If not, maybe it is not as much of a trust problem as it is a knowledge problem. Perhaps you should get to know God better, and then you will love and trust Him more.