Originally published on April 3, 2020
Trust in God
During the summer, our family loves to spend time at our local pool. When Dawson was a baby he would simply float in the water with Mom or Dad. This past summer was the first summer he was willing to take some risks. Or should I say, it was the first time I was able to convince him to take some risks. He was completely satisfied splashing around in the shallow water, but I wanted to convince him that the shallow water was not as fun as the deeper water. And if he really wanted to have fun he needed to try the slide! After a lot of convincing, he hesitantly agreed. He sat at the top clinging on for dear life while I stood in the pool at the bottom of the slide convincing him to trust me. My words were something like, “Trust me. I’m your dad. I promise I’ll catch you.”
After several minutes, he finally let go, sliding down the slide into the water where I was waiting with open arms! Right before his head went under the water, I pulled him up, assuring him I wasn’t going to let go. Once he realized he was safe, he then screamed with excitement and said… You guessed it. “LET’S DO THAT AGAIN!”
In this game, Dawson’s responsibility was very minimal. He simply had to let go, enjoy the slide, and trust that his Daddy was going to catch him and lift him above the water.
In Proverbs 3:5, Solomon tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”
Solomon was the wisest man in the world. If anybody could have said, “God I don’t need you, I have all the answers.” It was Solomon. But he tells us, “Don’t trust in your own understanding. Trust in God.”
With all your heart
In life sometimes our hearts get broken, so we put our guard up to protect ourselves. We may give a little bit here and there, but we hold a lot back. Sometimes we even say to God, “You can have that part of my heart, but you can’t have this part. I’m keeping this for myself.” But God says, “I want your whole heart! I won’t let you down. I won’t leave you. I won’t betray you.”
Lean not on your own understanding
It’s easy to simply say, “Yeah, I trust God.” But when He calls us to things we don’t understand or don’t like, we say, “But, God...” Or “I’m not doing that.” In this we are saying, “I don’t trust you, God.”
Leaning has the sense of putting your whole weight on something. We often put too much weight on our own limited understanding instead of leaning on and trusting in God and His PERFECT will. God says, “Trust in me, even when it doesn’t make sense.”
The first time Dawson slid down the slide, he didn’t know what would happen. Everything about the experience was unfamiliar to him. Would the slide be too fast? Would it hurt when he hit the water? Would he go under the water and not come up? All of these were legitimate fears he had. He feared what he did not understand. But one thing he did know is that I loved him and that I would not let anything bad happen to him. His knowledge of my love gave him the strength to fight through his fears so he could experience the fun of the slide!
The truth is that we all experience things we don’t understand. We all face fears every day. Will this virus get worse? Will I get sick? Will someone in my family get sick? What will happen with my job and my finances? These are all legitimate fears we all face. But in our fears and through our darkest valleys, God is always with us (Ps. 23:4). He provides peace, comfort, guidance, and assurance as we trust in Him. He promises that He will never leave us, and He will never let us go. Our job is simply to let go and trust that He will catch us and hold us above the waters.
I pray that today you would know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge (Eph. 3:19), and that the knowledge of His love would lead you to trust Him through your fears, your lack of understanding, and your darkest valleys.
Kurt Hoffpauir
