May God Bless you This day to . . . Trust Him!
This past December I received a disturbing email from someone on the other side
of the world. His message was filled with pain. Almost fifty and never married,
he had been sharing his home with his mother whom he loved very much. Two months
earlier, she had died, leaving him all alone. His grief was clear as he told of
a Christmas that would be the worst of his life, a life that no longer had
meaning.
The best thing that can happen to me is that I end up in a coffin soon...because
god just isn't interested in helping me. There is no need to reply, or to pray
for me anymore...
I did reply and pray, of course, but he did not respond. He continued to get the
Note until a few weeks ago when I received this last message.
Chuck. Please stop sending me emails etc., I don't read them and don't find them
helpful. Your intentions are good, but it's a bit like dealing with scratches on
a person when what they need is heart surgery. I have found God to be very, very
unhelpful and uncaring and unreliable. Goodbye.
In his despair, he had lost his trust in God. He still believed God existed, but
it was an unhelpful, uncaring and unreliable god. One who was not interested in
helping him.
Trust is difficult. The dictionary defines it as a firm reliance on the
integrity, ability, or character of another, instilling a conviction of absolute
confidence, reliability, dependability, and assurance. The problem is that we
are not naturally trusting souls. Trust has to be learned, sought, developed and
given. But why is it so hard? Because trusting requires that we become
vulnerable in the hands of another.
Recently I had the great pleasure of seeing my mother-in-law baptized at the
First Baptist Church in Tucker, Georgia. Afterward, the pastor, Don Pratt, spoke
about trust and gave a perfect example of what it means to trust God. It can all
be seen in the death-defying circus act of the high flying trapeze.
In this act there are two players, the flyer and the catcher. The flyer is the
person who holds onto a swinging bar high above the ground, gaining momentum as
he moves back and forth until he finally releases the bar and does a flip or two
while hurtling through the air toward the catcher. Now the catcher is also
swinging from a bar high above the ground, but he's hanging by his legs...upside
down. Do you have the picture? The flyer is flying through the air while the
catcher is getting ready to catch him.
But there's something very important here. One of those trapeze no-no kind of
things. While tumbling through the air, hopefully in the direction of the
catcher, the flyer must not try to catch the catcher. Got that? After all the
flips and spins, he has only one thing left to do...hold out his arms to be
caught. If the flyer panics and tries to grab the swinging catcher, the flyer
will fail and fall to the ground.
So what does it take to be a successful flyer? Absolute confidence the catcher
is there. Absolute reliance on the catcher's ability. Absolute dependence on the
catcher and no other. And absolute assurance the catcher will catch him. The
flyer must trust the catcher with all his heart. Easy, huh?
Meaningful relationships require trust. Husband and wife. Parent and child.
Friend and friend. None is more important than God and me . Trust takes time and
courage. Becoming so reliant and dependent on someone else is scary, not to
mention it's against our independent nature. Yet that is exactly what we must
learn to do. If we think we can grab onto God whenever we choose, we will fail
in despair.
So what does it take? Absolute confidence that God is there for us. Absolute
reliance on His ability to work for the good of those who love Him. Absolute
dependence on Him and no other. And absolute assurance He will catch us, care
for us, love us and save us for eternity from the ultimate fall.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that
you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
Take care and be God's,
Chuck Graham
Ciloa ... Encouraging one another as long as it is called Today! Ciloa is a registered trademark of Ciloa, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. A Note of Encouragement is a copyright interest held by Ciloa, Inc.