"I Trust Him, BUT...."

As I read Sheri’s blog, “Do you Trust God?” I thought of the many moms out there who have children especially daughters who are in full time ministry serving in another country. I just stopped and prayed for you even though I don’t know your names. I must ask you this question, “Are you having trouble trusting God as you see your children struggle in another country?”

Sheri, as a teen-ager, would often ask the following question when she wanted to go off with her friends, “Mom, don’t you trust me?” I laugh a little now because she is giving the same response I did, “Yes, I trust you but I’m not sure about the others.” Isn’t that the way it is, Mom? Looking at our daughters and sons serving God in another country can be rewarding or it can be wrecking depending on our level of TRUST.

People mean well but sometimes the statements they make or the questions they ask about our children in ministry are so full of everything else and not about the needs of our Lord. If you and I dwell on the negative “junk” that surrounds us like, cows stepping on pipes that carry water down from the mountain, or tarantulas in the baby crib, or anacondas bumping the boat on the Amazon, or rats urinating on the fruit, or leptospirosis, or food rations, or no electricity, no housing, straw beds with bugs, or thieves and rapists, guns, and then whatever is ten times worse than those listed here……my goodness we might as well give up and call it quits!  Right? I ask you “Are you trusting Him? Or are you laboring to do it YOUR way but saying that you are trusting God?”

Php 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

Just recently I heard a Godly woman say, “I’m going to get an ulcer if all this continues!” Really? Where is our faith? Do you and I get ulcers? Yes! We all doubt, but people, let’s get it together and rise above the enemy!! When we doubt and express that doubt, we cause others to doubt who may not be as strong, spiritually as we are OR as strong AS WE THINK WE ARE!  Oh me……get off the high horse and join the battle running and rejoice in the Lord! The battle is the Lord’s. Did you hear that? We are to rejoice in the Lord Always, in everything, always! Too many women are very unhappy…..no excuse, people, no excuse! Our God is in control. OUR GOD IS IN CONTROL!

When it is in your power to change something that you know is not right, then go for it, but if it is NOT in your power, then TELL GOD not others!  If there is one area that I struggle in, it is this area of trusting God to help me trust my authority whether in the home, at work or in the church.  I have great leaders, don’t misunderstand me, but every now and then I may (like you) have a better idea. Nothing wrong with better ideas….until we step out of the line of authority. “But I’m right!” You might be, but God has given us the perfect way to handle such matters and getting ulcers and staying disgruntled about it, IS NOT His way and it certainly is not "rejoicing" in the Lord! So what do we do? What do we already know about God and what He has said about such issues?

Na 1:7 The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.

Does God know that you trust Him? Does God know that you DON’T trust Him? YES?  It is in YOUR power to change that.  “I do trust Him, but…” Nope….there are no “BUTS” with God. If you keep putting those “buts” in your conversation with Him, He may have to find a way to eliminate them because He does know everything or have you lost that truth as well, along your way?

Ps 119:71 ¶ It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.

My dear, good friend, Marlene Evans wrote in her book Redbirds and Rubies and Rainbows, “I sometimes wonder if many of us don’t need a whole lot of affliction. It seems that as soon as much affliction comes, we begin to realize what life is about and what we should major on in life.” I love that, don’t you? We learn through affliction.

My husband planted a guava tree right close to our bedroom window. Not knowing that guava trees are different one from another, we anticipated the taste of small guavas. The tree began growing and got too big for us to cover it during the cold weather. Gradually during the spring and summer the guava fruit could be seen and like the tree, grew much bigger than we expected. We were surprised when they fell to the ground after our friendly birds pecked at them but we quickly scooped them up, hoping to save them to eat but then the ants got inside the tiny opening and before we knew it they were good for nothing. We sat on the back porch looking at the humongous tree and I said, “Terry, that tree is perfect in blocking out distractions from neighbors.” He just looked at me and smiled. There was a blessing in the large tree for us as we both love trees, squirrels, birds and all nature.  Sometimes, we just can’t seem to see what is right before us, can we?...... until God removes what we consider as the most important part!

Ps 118:24 This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it

As I finished this blog I saw the following about God:

1.    He wants us to trust in Him.

2.    He needs for us to rejoice in Him.

3.    He pleads for us to set the example to believers and non-believers that we trust and rejoice in Him.

Until next time, Lord willing

Sharon