Trusting in Him

Psalms 118:8
"It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man."

There are so many unanswered questions for me out there, and a future that I could potentially always be worrying about. I get overwhelmed with all the possible what ifs and whys that tumble around in my head sometimes. But then I hear a voice telling my mind to be still, and know that He is in charge.

With my questions I remember the scripture in Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding." I realize I need to trust, with all my heart. My understanding is so limited and finite that I need desperately to lean on him and trust that He sees the bigger picture.

Another scripture I love: Psalms 112: 7 "He shall not be afraid of evil tidings; His heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.

I want to be like that! I want that much confidence and trust in the Lord and His plan! When all the what ifs try to creep into my mind, I want to remember I don't need to be afraid of bad news or things going wrong, I just need to constantly trust the Lord.

Another beautiful scripture: Psalms 37:4-5 "Delight thyself also in the Lord, and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart; commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and he shall bring it to pass."

I love this scripture as well. The Lord knows my heart, he knows my hopes and desires. And if I make Him my all, and commit myself to him, and trust him, he will bless me. Such a simple reminder that He really does want to bless me with the desires of my heart. Sometimes I forget that His goal is my happiness and salvation. I am truly his daughter and just as I want to bless my children and help them be happy, he surely wants that for me. I need to remember He is not a distant dictator but a loving, close Father in Heaven.

In searching on this topic I found this little story that compares life to a bike ride:

At first I saw God as an observer, like my judge, keeping track of things I did wrong. This way, God would know whether I merited heaven or hell when I died. He was always out there, sort of like the President. I recognized His picture when I saw it, but I didn’t really know Him at all.

But later on, when I recognized my higher power better, it seemed as though life was rather like a bike ride, on a tandem bike, and I noticed God was in the back helping me pedal.

I don’t know when it was that He suggested we change places, but life has not been the same since. . . .

When I had control, I knew the way. It was rather boring but predictable. It was always the shortest distance between the points.

But when He took the lead, He knew delightful cuts, up mountains, and through rocky places and at breakneck speeds; it was all I could do to hang on! Even though it looked like madness, He [said], “Pedal!”

I worried and became anxious, asking, “Where are you taking me?” He just laughed and didn’t answer, and I found myself starting to trust. I soon forgot my boring life and entered into the adventure, and when I’d say, “I’m scared,” He’d lean back and touch my hand.

He took me to people with gifts that I needed; gifts of healing, acceptance and joy. They gave me their gifts to take on my journey. Our journey, that is, God’s and mine.

And we were off again. He said, “Give the gifts away, they’re extra baggage, too much weight.” So I did, to the people we met, and I found that in giving I received, and still our burden was light.

I did not trust Him at first, in control of my life. I thought He’d wreck it. But He knew bike secrets, knew how to make it bend to take sharp corners, jump to clear places filled with rocks, fly to shorten scary passages.

And I’m learning to [be quiet] and pedal in the strangest places, and I’m beginning to enjoy the view and the cool breeze on my face with my delightful constant companion, my higher power.

And when I’m sure I can’t go on anymore, He just smiles and says, “Pedal . . .” [Author unknown, “The Bike Ride,” A 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul: 101 More Stories to Open the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit (Deerfield Beach, Florida: Health Communications, 1995), 311–12; emphasis in original]

I love this little story. I want to trust my God and His plans for me. I know He loves me and wants what is best for me. And I must trust Him and keep on pedaling!