On Our Way to Trust

Series: Trusting God in Hard Times

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His purposes.”

“If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Count it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (Romans 8:28, 31; James 1:2-4)

These words from Paul and James are familiar to most believers. They are favorite “go-to” verses for a lot of people. And, they read quickly. But, how often has a moment in life left us speechless in the presence of these familiar texts? Traveling across the terrain of thought encompassed in these texts was anything but a walk in the park. It more aptly resembled intergalactic travel!

I recall listening to a dear sister tossing these verses on the floor in a conversation a few years ago as she unloaded her struggle to trust God through a particularly difficult time in her life. She said, “I feel so weak. I feel so ashamed. I’ve known these verses all my life. I know how I should respond to this situation, but my heart is so distracted, heavy and weak. I just thought I was more mature than this.”

Ever felt like that? I have on more than one occasion. Trials can find the seam between knowledge and conviction and test its strength. And, it doesn’t take long for the test results to come back to us.

One of the misconceptions about faith is that if we know the truth we can (and should!) snap it into place when trials crash into our lives. Truth is, most of us don’t respond to hard times in an intellectually snappy way.

Graciously, God has scattered across the landscape of scripture realistic pictures of “trust in action”. In our hurry to get to a good verse on trust (and I confess I’ve done it more than once!) we look past these blessed pictures.

Throughout the book of Psalms the Spirit has given us psalms of lament. (Individual lament: 3, 4, 5, 7, 9-10, 13, 14, 17, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28, 31, 36, 39, 40:12-17, 41, 42-43, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 61, 64, 70, 71, 77, 86, 89, 120, 139, 141, 14; Community lament: 12, 44, 58, 60, 74, 79, 80, 83, 85, 89, 90, 94, 123, 126, 129; Penitential: 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143; Imprecatory: 35, 69, 83, 88, 109, 137, 140). While many of the Psalms focus on praising God, a huge chunk of the book focuses on lament. The writers kick and scream at life situations. They throw familiar theology around the room like a bouncing ball. They lay it all on the living room carpet! They don’t work out faith in minutes; it takes days, weeks and months. Trial to trust is not a straight line.

Then there is Job. He was a righteous man. But, after a week of silence and “blessed be the name of the Lord”…well…he takes God to task. He rifles questions at God. He even curses the day he was born! Trial to trust is not a straight line.

Then there is Jesus. Even though his moves are in concert with His Father’s purposes and the knowledge of messianic scriptures are etched into his mind, he doesn’t turn himself in and say “let’s move to trial!” He collapses into prayer in the garden of Gethsemane…3 times. Hebrews 5:7 provides us with a glimpse into Jesus heart: “In the days of his flesh Jesus offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.” Even for the Savior, trial to trust was not lived in a straight line. It comes with difficulty, struggle and lots of emotion.

Surrendering our lives to God is a meandering road. Thoughts, impulses, questions, and emotions play off one another in the presence of “trust verses” when we are traveling across the rocky terrain of a particularly trying moment. Control. Security. Safety. Avoidance of pain. That’s how we’re wired. But, trust is so counter to who we are as human beings. “Speak Lord, your servant is listening” is a scary proposition. “Not my will, but yours be done” is equally unsettling. I’m not sure where the idea came from that we cruise through faith challenges with a bible and a calculator. The truth of the matter is nobody does it that way. Life hurts. We feel pain. The unknown scares us. And, to add insult to injury, to think that our “back and forth” in moments of trial is anything short of normal fuels our weakness and makes us vulnerable to the kind of collapse that the Evil One is hoping to achieve in our rocky moments.

Like you, I’m so thankful the Holy Spirit has blessed us with an honest picture of what trusting God looks and sounds like. The transparency of the psalmists. The candid speeches in the book of Job. Jesus’ example of how to wrestle trust into place. We need them all. We need them because “unpredictables” still happen. We need to know that it is okay to cry. To sit in silence before the Lord. To scream if need be. To ask people to pray for us because we don’t know how to pray. To tell God that we are in a strange situation and feel like infants who can’t tell their left hand from their right. It’s all part and parcel of how you fit yourself into the skin of trust.

Prayer
O Lord, thank you for being Faithful and True. Thank you for being near to us and promising that you will never forsake us. And, thank you for showing us what it means to stumble and stagger our way into your arms. Strengthen our hearts with such a reminder when we find ourselves in uncharted territory. When life doesn’t’ make sense. When we flat don’t know what to do next. Weave your word into our hearts in a more mature way that we might know you are with us in the “back and forth” that is our faith coming of age. Amen.

Randy Daugherty
Stephenville, Texas

Trusting Him

Series: Trusting God in Hard Times

I spent Thanksgiving week in the hospital with my sister. She had a routine procedure which was complicated by a mineral imbalance. Her procedure was on Monday and we were still there on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, which was three days longer than expected. Nights are not very restful in hospitals with nurse visits every 4 hours and blood work in between. On Wednesday night at about 2 am, I remember the technician drawing blood. The look of desperation on my sister’s face was so intense. We all wanted to go home, but she especially wanted to go home. It was more than just getting out of the hospital. It was imposing a strange gloom on her that was turning into depression. As soon as the technician left early that morning and I saw her face, I had this deep impulse to pray in the most raw and honest way. With her hands held in mine, I prayed a prayer of complete surrender. I asked our Father to show His power in a quick, obvious, unequivocal way by making her get better. It was through raw emotion and overwhelming tears that I petitioned Him. After thanking Him for His Son and for His grace offered so freely, I uttered the word, “Amen.” At that very instant, I had a calming peace and confidence in knowing that we–my sister and I–had completely, wholeheartedly surrendered, trusting the Lord would deliver.

Her next lab result would not show a significant improvement, but our faith and trust remained. We continued to hope her condition would improve, AND IT DID! Our family spent Thanksgiving Day in the hospital and shared that holiday meal with other families in the same situation. We had so much to be thankful for. We had each other! Even though her condition prevented her from going home, it wasn’t life threatening. Yes, it was inconvenient, but she was alive. We all are alive! This ‘hard’ time for my family certainly doesn’t compare to what many people have experienced in their own hard times. But, it was a moment in time for me that was difficult–one that I had struggled with surrendering.

Sometimes I fail to fully surrender to His power and mercy. When I finally reach the point of realizing I am not in control and His will must be made complete, do I finally TRUST Him to take care of it! Placing complete trust in Him brings a peace and confidence in knowing the situation will be resolved according to His eternal plan.

I am encouraged by these scriptures, perhaps you will be too:
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To Him be the power forever and ever. (1 Peter 5:10-11)

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them. (Isaiah 42:16)

Father, thank you for loving me enough to send your Son to Calvary for my sin. Forgive me, Father, when I fail to trust you in ALL things. Help me to completely surrender my whole life to you. Thank you for your love and grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Michelle Tittor
Cleburne, Texas

Hard Times

Series: Trusting God in Hard Times

HARD TIMES! What are they? According to WIKIPEDIA , to give someone a “hard time” is to cause difficulty for that person, or to treat that person severely. Hard times are very personal. Satan has a way of knowing just how to tempt us. What you consider severe treatment I may “blow off” and ignore. Everyone has “hard times,” most of us more than once, many of us frequently. If you haven’t had any, be assured that they will come. Some people even seem to live their lives waiting for the next “hard time.” As Stephen C. Foster wrote in his song, “My Old Kentucky Home,” “By’n by hard times comes a-knocking at the door, . .”

We are promised hard times if we live as Christians. We may be ridiculed, lied about, ignored, forsaken by those we love, scorned by others. Business may be destroyed, possessions wiped out. And these are just the easy problems! What about the tortures of the early Christians? Have you known anyone recently who died for The Faith? Whose family has been ripped apart, taken into slavery? No one I know has been thrown to the lions, or burned at the stake, or even whipped to death, for any reason, much less for The Faith. If I had my own “trial by fire,” could I endure?

When I was in high school, a girl I knew had not one, but two abortions (both illegal at that time). I could not believe that anyone would do this! I already believed, without discussion with anyone else, that life begins at conception. My reading of God’s Word had made this plain to me. While in high school, I promised myself, deep inside myself, that I would never intentionally cause harm to any child of mine, before or after birth. Without consultation with any human, this was my conviction

During the 1950’s and ‘60’s there was an especially hard epidemic of Rubella, a usually harmless “childhood” disease. About 25% of babies whose mothers contracted Rubella during the first trimester of pregnancy were born with “congenital rubella syndrome.” As quoted from kidshealth.org:

Rubella in a pregnant woman can cause congenital rubella syndrome, with potentially devastating consequences for the developing fetus. Children who are infected with rubella before birth are at risk for growth retardation; mental retardation; malformations of the heart and eyes; deafness; and liver, spleen, and bone marrow problems. Nothing that medicine or other therapies could offer would positively affect the outcome of the pregnancy.

I contracted Rubella between the second and third months of my second pregnancy, the absolute worst time to have it because of all the development occurring in the baby at that time. My immunity prior to my breaking out with the tell-tale spots was “zero.” After all signs of the disease were gone, my immunity was so high it could not be accurately measured. While in training as a Speech Pathologist, I had worked with both children and their parents following the birth of a child with “congenital rubella syndrome.” I had seen the heartbreak of the parents, the handicaps of the children, who frequently were unable to care for themselves or learn past normal 3 – 5 year development. Now, I felt, I had caused this “curse” on my own child whom I wanted so much! HARD TIMES had hit!

My doctor insisted on an abortion. Colorado had just passed the first abortion law in the United States. It stated if two doctors agreed that continuation of the pregnancy would result in serious medical or emotional problems for either the fetus or the mother, a legal abortion could be performed. So, I could fly there, have the abortion, come home, and all would be well. One major problem my doctor had not considered…Me!I wanted this child, but I wanted this child to be healthy! Here I was, carrying this life conceived on purpose in love, yet, as I reasoned then, I was responsible for (i.e., blamed) for his ruined life! (I have since learned the difference between responsibility and blame.) I felt, “How could I bear to sentence my child to a life of extreme difficulty hardship? How could I handle it?” Yet I knew I couldn’t purposely kill this child! I dove into a deep depression.

I told my doctor, “No.” Paul (my husband) was in complete agreement with me. But very few people were. I lived the next seven months in torture, mentally, physically, and spiritually. I continued to suffer from depression, yet I had to care for our year-and-one-half old daughter every day, and try to keep our home going. I could hardly tolerate for anything to touch my skin. I felt like I was stung by everything that touched me. So the doctor put me on pain killers and anti-depressants (both dangerous to a developing fetus).I spent my afternoons during our daughter’s nap time writhing in agony on the bed, sobbing repeatedly, “Oh, God, please!” That is ALL I could pray for seven months! I could do nothing but endure. My faith was so weak!

I had yet to internalize the scripture from Romans 8:26-27:

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. (NIV)

Through the Spirit’s intervention Almighty God heard my prayers. Our son was born a healthy 8+ pounds. His development was precociously fast; he totally defied all human predictions regarding rubella syndrome. This child whom medical experts said I should abort is a faithful son to God, his Heavenly Father. He has known from an early age, Who saved him from a lifetime of disabilities. How could anyone have suggested that I terminate that life? I praise God daily for His merciful kindness!

That was truly a “Hard Time” for me. I learned that if God, in all His love and power, could see me through constant seven-month anguish, could and did protect our son from the ravages of rubella syndrome, He can and will see me through anything this world has to strike me with. His answer is not always the one I seek. But in His perfect love, “. . . we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28, NIV)

How did I get through that “Hard Time”? Prayer! Intervention of the Spirit! In my weakness I did not understand the intervention of the Spirit. But God was, as He always is, faithful. His Word is perfect, His promises are true, our trust in Him will prove His love. Some babies are born with disabilities, some acquire them. Not everything we pray for will receive the answer we seek, but God wants to send only His best for our eternity. Sometimes He sends HARD TIMES! and we grow. But He will see us through. This life is brief. He who endures shall receive a crown of life, forever no Hard Times but PERFECT “TIMES” with our God!

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12 (NIV). . . Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. Rev. 2:10 (NIV)Almighty God, help us to know You better, to trust You, to love You, to believe that You want only the best for us. Sustain us through our “Hard Times.” Help us to trust that You know what is best, and that truly “Good Times” on earth are only those times we live in service and love to You. Thank you for the intervention of your Spirit, who helps us know and love You more. Through Jesus, our Savior, Amen.

Marilyn Schulze
Stephenville, Texas

Trust and Obey

Series: Trusting God in Hard Times

I grew up singing the song, “Trust and Obey”. The lyrics remind me that obedience and trust go hand in hand.

At the core of our being, we must believe that there is nothing “hard” for God. He is the creator of the universe and everything in it. Is there someone more worthy of my trust?

Here is a verse to hold on to, “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock” (Isaiah 26:4).

How do you trust God in difficult situations? By obeying God in everything, everyday! He asks us to love. Love unconditionally. He asks us to forgive. Forgive mercifully. He asks us to give to those in need. Give generously. He is beside us every day, available to give us strength.

Our faith will grow as we obey and learn that God’s plan is the best. As our faith grows we trust more and more.

Keep Prov. 3:5 in your heart: “Trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight”. We are tempted to rely on our finite self, but God has been helping humans for thousands of years! He knows our heart and what we need. He is absolutely the best one to trust! While you wait for God to work out your situation, keep obeying, believing, praying and trusting. At the end of the day, make a choice to accept God’s will, which has an eternal perspective.

Dear Father, I want to trust you fully. Give me strength today to turn my life over to you. Forgive me for sometimes doing things my way, ignoring your commands. Help me, God, to surrender to your truth. I want to proclaim you as my Rock! In Jesus name, amen.

Terry Smith
Stephenville, Texas

Feasting on the Word

Series: Hungering for the Word

The awesome beauty of God’s creation was evident in the lunar eclipse that occurred this week. Earlier in the evening the sky was filled with clouds hanging in lovely shades of pink and purple after the sunset. The sight was truly breathtaking. The view was ours for the taking, a once in a lifetime experience. God’s presence is all around us just waiting to be acknowledged and embraced. Whether we are skiing in the mountains, basking in the sun on a beach, enjoying a beautiful sunset or counting the colors of a rainbow, we have a choice. We may choose to see God in all His glory, or we may be oblivious to the beauty that surrounds us.

Hungering for the Word is a similar choice. We may choose to feast or we may be content to nibble on a few bites here and there. I grew up in a home where daily Bible reading was as much a part of our routine as the delicious meals my mother so lovingly prepared. We had workbooks with lessons to prepare for Sunday Bible classes and were expected to learn the “memory verses.” We took pride in being counted among the Daily Bible Readers each week.

I am grateful for the traditions and habits instilled by loving, faithful parents. I am thankful for the security of being reared in a Christian home. However, I remember a day, when I, as a young wife and mother, realized that I needed to take responsibility for my salvation. I earnestly prayed that I would hunger for the Word. I believe hungering for the Word means that “[l]ike newborn babies you should crave–thirst for, earnestly desire–the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may be nurtured and grow unto salvation.” (I Peter 2:2).

Father, we know that in the beginning was the Word. He is the Life and Light that is eternal. We praise You, God, for creating us in Your image! We praise You for the hope of salvation that comes through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. May we hunger for Your Word and feast at the table You have prepared for us. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Jan Alderfer
Stephenville, Texas

Eat, Sleep and Drink It

Series: Hungering for the Word
My oldest brother, Jimmy, is eight years older than me. When he was in high school playing football, I idolized him. During his senior season, he fumbled the football a few times in the early portion of the season. Coach Williams decided to give Jimmy a lesson about holding on to the football that he would not forget. He required Jimmy to carry a football with him everywhere he went, 24 hours a day. This was to serve as a reminder to Jimmy, both consciously and subconsciously, about the importance of holding onto the football during a game. For Coach Williams, football was to be a top priority for his players. It was stated in a succinct philosophy. His players were to ‘eat, drink, and sleep football.’ He wanted football to be in their consciousness 24 hours a day.

God is a little bit like Coach Williams. When it comes to the focus of our lives, God wants us to be Kingdom-focused. Jesus said, “Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness.” Mike Cope has written a book entitled One Holy Hunger: When God Is All You Want. Hungering for God and His kingdom should be the passion of every Christian.

One of the ways that our hunger for God and His presence in our lives grows is through our consuming of His word. Certainly, we are a people who have been blessed with Bibles in our lives. I am sitting in an office where there are 20+ Bibles, in numerous translations. At home as well, there are multiple Bibles. Many who read this today can be seen on Sundays with your personal Bible tucked under your arm, strolling into church. BUT THE QUESTION FOR YOU TO ANSWER: DO I REALLY ‘HUNGER’ FOR THE WORD OF GOD IN MY LIFE?? It is not enough to own the most recent translation with concordance and maps and topical index.

My early morning routine, as I eat breakfast, is to consume the Abilene Reporter News. I begin with the Sports section, then the main section with world and local news, and finish off with the Life section. In a way, I hunger for it. I desire to begin my day with the news. DO YOU HAVE A DAILY HUNGER FOR ‘GOD’S WORD’? ARE YOU AS MOTIVATED AS I AM FOR THE SPORTS SECTION OF THE NEWSPAPER TO HEAR GOD SPEAKING TO YOU THROUGH HIS WORD? My prayer for you and me is that God’s word will become an indispensible part of our spiritual diets. May our philosophy become: I am going to ‘eat, drink, and sleep’ the kingdom of God. Hungering for God’s word in our lives is a good beginning place.

Prayer: ‘Father, create within me a ‘holy hunger’ for You. Help me prioritize my life and my days to include time for Your Word.’

Terry Brown
Abilene, Texas

The Word Can Change You

Series: Hungering for the Word

I know a man who is very passionate about the Word. When he was in college, he considered going Premed, but instead chose to pursue a degree in Bible. His freshman year he developed a strong desire to memorize scripture. He met a man named Marlin (or Merlin, as I like to call him), who worked with him daily on his memorization. Marlin taught him a special strategy for scripture memorization.

By the time he graduated, he had memorized the Sermon on the Mount, I and II Timothy, part of Acts, I Peter, most of I John, II John, chunks of the gospels, the first five chapters of Revelation, nine chapters of Hebrews, etc. After graduating and getting into ministry, he spent a few years teaching a freshman Bible course at ACU. He would let the students play “stump the chump”--they were allowed to look up any verse in the New Testament, read it aloud, and if he couldn’t tell them the exact book, chapter, and verse location of the excerpt, they got an extra point on their next test. They only got one extra point the entire semester.

Early in his ministry he met a very special man named Keith Barnett. Keith lived in a small Midwestern town. When Keith was nine years old, he was getting off the school bus one day and preparing to cross a street to get to his house. He waved excitedly at his mom, who waited on the other side of the road. As he stepped into the street, a car hit him and dragged him 70 feet. He lived, but he had brain damage, his speech was impaired, and he walked with a limp. However, the accident did not damage his heart of gold.

One day at church, Keith approached the young preacher and said, “Mister, I would just give anything in the world to be able to get up and speak the way you do. I want to know scripture that way.”

The preacher replied, “Well, Keith, of course you can learn to do that. I can teach you, if you’d like.”

Keith’s face lit up. “You would...teach me? You would do that for me?” The light left his eyes as he came to a realization. “But...I’m too dumb to learn how to do that like you.”

The preacher says his heart broke whenever Keith said those words. “No, Keith,” he told him. “You are NOT too dumb. We can work together. You pick the passage you want and I will teach you how to learn it.”

Keith was so excited. He worked with the preacher several days a week. The preacher taught Keith the things that Marlon taught him several years before. Keith’s mom said that Keith would pace back and forth across his room every afternoon, reading and reciting over and over. He worked and worked, practiced and practiced. When he was ready, he called the preacher and asked if he could meet him at the church building to recite his chosen passage.

They met in the preacher’s office and Keith recited the parable of the ten virgins, with passion and vigor and a light in his eyes. Keith did not miss a word and, more than that, he felt the words as he said them. It was more than simply memorizing words from a page. Keith felt accomplished. He felt like he’d worked hard for something and produced visible fruit. His disabilities and shriveled appearance faded as he spoke the very same words that Jesus spoke long ago.

When he finished his recitation, he was so overwhelmed by the weight of his accomplishment, by the realization that he had put every bit of his heart into learning his chosen text, he collapsed into a chair, sobbing with his head in his hands, thanking the young preacher.

The next week, Keith stood in front of the church of 700 people and recited his passage and gave a lesson about it. Tears flowed and hearts filled with joy as Keith spoke with confidence and zeal about the word of the Lord. His mother’s tears were silent; she glowed with pride.

Keith, a poor, disabled, twenty-four year old man who was still fully dependent on his mother, discovered things about himself that he did not know existed as he memorized scripture. The act of memorizing and reciting scripture was a humanizing act for Keith; he was affirmed in a way that no other accomplishment could offer.

Dear God,

Thank you for the saving power of Your word. Thank you for its singular ability to change us, recreate our perceptions of ourselves, and to bear fruit in our lives. Draw us nearer to Your heart as we connect with You through the Word that You have given us. We love you.

Through Jesus’ name,
Amen.

Erin Daugherty
Stephenville, Texas