Have you ever experienced a situation that caused you great worry and felt that possibly your prayers were going unheard or unanswered? Of course, you have as this is a human experience. Depending on the severity, I expect many of us have this happen from time to time. What do I do? What do you do? Are we able to pray and just “let it go?” That’s what we’re told to do repeatedly in the Bible. For example, “I trust in you, Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hands” (Psalm 31:14-15), “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6), and “Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you” (I Peter 5:7).

Recently, something very important to me and for which I had worked very hard, was in danger of not happening. My natural response in situations like this is to work harder! However, I know in my heart that the best thing to do is to pray harder. In this situation, a combination of the two worked and the “desire of my heart” (another phrase from the Bible) worked itself out with the help of some very talented people. When things like this happen, I am reminded that answers can take time, require patience, and always teach us something. Sometimes it feels impossible to just WAIT, but that is what we must do.

Do you trust in yourself, your spouse, or in the Lord? I know which one is the most reliable, and I have to remember in the tough times, that He wants more for me than I could ever imagine. It’s really just an issue of trust.

Sue – Voice II

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding….” (Proverbs 3:5-8), is definitely one of my life scriptures. In other words, it is one of the scriptures that I attempt to apply daily in my life, and I consistently share it with others as well. This scripture has gotten me through so many difficult times. One day I was reading it, and I began to talk to God in my heart and mind. I began to think about how I do my best to trust God, but I honestly knew that I did not always trust in God as His word commands. Soon, I began to audibly say, “God I want to trust in you with my whole heart. Please help me to do that.” Shortly after praying, I flopped my entire body down onto (and into) the couch in our family room, and I heard the Spirit of God say, “That is how I want you to trust in Me, just fall back and don’t even question whether I will catch or hold you because I am right there. Just like you believed and had faith in that couch to hold you, let go and allow me to catch you, even before the fall comes.” WOW! That was a powerful lesson the Lord revealed to me on that day. John 16:5 -15 reminds us that one of the missions of the Holy Spirit is to teach us all things.

Question: If we can trust in concrete items and inanimate objects like cars, chairs, and bikes to support us, carry us, and hold us without giving it a second thought, then how much more should we put that same amount of trust in the Creator of everything and everyone?

A Thought to Ponder: Nothing or no one deserves 100% of our heart’s trust but God because He will not fail us. It is only our own inabilities to trust in Him with our entire heart that will cause us to fail. Life will teach us how to trust or mistrust people, but a relationship with Christ allows us to practice putting ALL of our trust in Him. Please practice.

Deidre – Voice I