TRUST—THE ACTIVATION OF SURRENDER by Karen A Roth
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” ~PRO 3:5
Trust is assurance that God will not fail. For example: Each day my son’s one-year-old daughter, would wait for him at the back door. When he opened his car, she began her descent into her daddy’s arms. His urgent concern: How quickly could he catch his baby girl before she fell two steps headfirst onto the cement. He couldn’t fail because she trusted her daddy would catch her.
Likewise, we understand trust in a marriage relationship—we surrender our heart and love to our spouse and trust they will honor us in the marriage covenant. God wants the same trust from us. He wants us to trust/surrender our heart, mind, soul and strength to Him and promises to honor His covenant to love us, keep us, heal us, bless us, …He’ll always be there for us, etc.
There’s a difference between trust, faith and belief. Trust is assurance that God will not fail. Faith and belief are words that reference a believed truth, or something expected to happen. Faith is conveyed more as an act of will, and belief as an act of intellect. But, trust is the language of the heart. Trust leans on God. When we trust God, it implies being supported; we’re resting on biblical truths that cannot fail.
= TRUST—THE ACTIVATION OF SURRENDER
For the LORD your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them. ~DEUTERONOMY 4:31 NAS
In the Old Testament, trust defined the initial steps of faith. Initially, like the example of the toddler, we trust by throwing ourselves wholeheartedly into God’s care. With God, we cannot fail.
Our decisions become an exercise in trust. We learn who/what to trust. God once showed how to make my decisions easier, saying, “Will you give me the benefit of your doubt?” He then gave me a scripture of ‘a benefit of a doubt.” Acts 10:20 “Arise therefore, and get down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.”
It was an amazing understanding to perfect our ability to make good decisions. If we chose what we believe is of God, we’re giving Him the benefit of our doubt. He’s guiding us to know His plans for us. Even if we’re wrong, God helps us to make better choices next time by training us to recognize His voice.
= GOD, SHOW ME YOUR WAY
Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me? ~ PSALM 56:3-4
Years ago, while facing a very difficult decision, I cried out, “God, show me Your way!” The next minute He showed me a vision, I was on a mountain. Jesus stood before me and spoke, “Come to Me.” That was easy, so I replied, “Yes Lord!”
Unfortunately, I looked down at my feet and saw what looked like a deep chasm. Jesus was on the other side. Although the distance was reachable while looking at Him, it widened as I looked down. I no longer could not make it into His arms. I fell to the ground weeping at my inability and hopelessness. But, Jesus said, “Trust Me—I will take you over.” I wrote it on a piece of paper and carried it with me. I held onto His Word for me. Jesus said He’d take me over.
A couple weeks later, while thanking Jesus a couple weeks later, I again saw another vision. Jesus stood to the right of me with His arm around me. And, looking down, Jesus and I stood on the same rock. I did not consciously overcome this chasm by something I did. Nor did I focus on my lack, failure or inability. I simply put my trust in Jesus to fulfill His promise to me.
Through God, I became an overcomer. He knew my inability and stretched out His arms to me. He carried me in His mercy. He becomes the bridge for us—just as He did with Noah when He bridged the end of the world to a rainbow.
= TRUST GOD
You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust
in the Lord forever, for in Yahweh, the Lord is everlasting strength. ~ISA 26:3-4
I had a backache and in too much pain to sleep. I prayed and studied. Still pacing the floor at 3:30 AM, I asked God: “Why am I not healed? What do I need to do to be healed?”
In a vision, I saw a parent walk towards a child with his arms up wanting get out of the crib. God spoke, “Come to Me as your Father—Trust Me.”
My attitude changed from ‘pleading’ to trust in God’s care of me. I reached up my hands to Him and spoke, “Abba Father, heal my back pain!” The healing was instantaneous! I did ten sit-ups for the sheer joy of no pain!
= TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART
“For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” ~JEREMIAH 29:11 NIV
Sometimes we feel we cannot trust God because we fell short of the grace of God. We failed. We deserve the consequences. So, how can we trust God to heal us or deliver us when it was the result of what we did? Why would God bless us? We become hopeless and quit—what’s the use? Putting our trust in God only means more pain and punishment!
It’s easy to fall under condemnation. But the scripture from Jeremiah says God has plans for you… plans to prosper you and not harm you! He’s our Father—He wants the best for us. When God spoke these words to Jeremiah, the Israelites were in Babylonian captivity for sinning against God, worshiping idols and rejecting Him. Yet, He’d never abandon His children. God made a promise to Abraham and won’t renege on His promise. He has plans to give you hope and a future.
It’s time we trust God. “With God, all things are possible!” It’s our moment to trust God to heal us, and to heal our land. Like Esther, David, Daniel, etc. …we take the initial step of TRUST by surrendering all our heart, mind, soul and strength to God… and let Him work everything out together for our good according to His purpose.
May this be your shining moment!
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