IN GOD WE TRUST

"In God We Trust"
Is this just a phrase on your money or is it a reality in your life?
Is it just something you say or is it evident in the way you live?

Sometimes it's easier said than done.
So easy to say but so hard to live out - or is it?

Trusting God - What does that mean?
Is it something you do (or say) only when things are going well for you? Is it what you do only for the "not so important" issues in your life? Do you give your burden to the Lord only to take it back again, because things don't seem to be going the way you want them to. Do you try to help God out, because He's not moving fast enough for you or He's not quite seeing the gravity of the situation?

Is this really trusting in God? We have a tendency of having to be in control of every situation, or at least feel like we are. We think we know what's best for ourselves and even those around us, our family and friends. However, this way of thinking makes it hard to 'let go and let God'.

Waiting on God is the hardest part of all. In our instant 'just add water' world we've lost the art of waiting. We no longer practice patience, we want it all and we want it now. We have microwavable everything these days and that's how we expect God to move. We go to fast food restaurants because we don't want to wait for a home cooked meal and if that's not fast enough there's always the 'drive thru' window, so you can eat on the way to your next whatever.

But God doesn't work that way. He is not bound by time or circumstance. He looks at your life as a whole from beginning to end and sees what's the absolute best for you, and if you let Him He will work that out on your behalf, 'In His Time'.

Trusting God means you believe that He knows what He's doing and that He is able, whatever the situation. It also means you are willing to give Him the time and opportunity to do it.

Sometimes He uses events, sometimes He uses circumstances, and sometimes He uses people to accomplish His will in our lives, and it's not always pleasant. Often we balk at His handiwork because we don't like the way it seems to be going. We take back control and thwart His perfect will for our lives. When this happens we usually don't get the results we thought we would get, or we may get exactly what we wanted and then wish we hadn't.

Have you ever been there?

God says to us in His Word; to trust in Him with all your heart, and do not act out from your own limited understanding, recognize Him in everything He's done and is doing for you and He will lead you down the correct path. Proverbs 3:5,6

Yield the decisions of your life to Him, your relationships, your career, your ministry, your all. Do not hold back any area of your life from the Lord.

Do not be arrogant, for the Lord knows best. Listen to those whom God has put in authority over you - the voice of experience, though you may not understand what God is doing sometimes, that's where the trust comes in.

It is human nature and our pride that causes us to think we can do anything under our own strength and wisdom. We need to make sure that we humbly trust in God, knowing that we can do nothing apart from Him.

"Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, and does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies." Psalm 40:4

"Commit your ways to the Lord, TRUST also in HIM, and He shall bring IT to pass." Psalm 37:5

So I encourage you today to let "In God We Trust" be more than just a mark on your money, more than just an empty phrase that you say because it's expected of you as a Christian, make it a reality in your life. Start with the little things, entrust them to the Lord and watch and see how faithful He is with them. Before you know it you will want to give Him everything because you realize He does far better at it than you ever will.

God Bless and Press On
Larry