Who Do You Trust?
“‘My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,’ says the Lord. ‘And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts’” (Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT).
Many years ago, I was an undergraduate student. I took a few Philosophy courses to fulfill the degree requirements in liberal arts. I loved the classes because they forced me to attempt a deeper level of understanding. One class was on Logic and Reasoning and we (students) were given an assignment to use logic and reasoning to write an essay that supported our belief or non-belief in God. I thoroughly enjoyed the teaching assistant that taught the class. She was very knowledgeable, laid back, and approachable. We had some great conversations, and I learned a lot. She was an atheist and we had great talks to challenge each other in a kind but profound manner, which I enjoyed. I used the above Holy Scripture as the basis of my position as a Christian. I recall I got an A on the paper and the class, which likely influences my fond memories of the class.
This Scripture is critical to my Christian faith. How can we as mere humans pretend to understand the ways of God? It is as silly as expecting a single cell organism to understand macroeconomics. If we were to fully understand the ways of God, then there would be no need for faith. Christ wants us to walk with Him by faith and not by sight. Do you recall His words to Thomas after He appeared following His death? “Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). Jesus wants to bless those that are following Him based on faith.
Some may lose trust because they feel that God has failed to hold up His end of the deal and allowed tragedy to enter our life. It is not God’s job to make every moment of your life easy. If He did, we would never mature but would be spoiled and self-centered. That is clearly not what God wants for us. We live in an age of instant gratification. So, when we are in pain and pray and don’t immediately see the results that we want, we may be tempted to lose trust. However, His grace is sufficient for us, and His power is made perfect in our weakness.
God is more interested in drawing us closer than in making us comfortable. We will be comfortable for all of eternity in heaven. I know He wants good for our lives even more than we do. Psalm 118:8 tells us, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” So, I trust Him more than I trust any person, especially myself.
Prayer: Dear God, We often do not understand your ways. We lack your vision and perspective. Forgive us when we cry out for you during times of tragedy but yet fail to thank you for the many blessings that you have given us. Help us to realize that any tragedy that comes to us is not from you but will be used by you to bring about good for us. Give us the courage to walk with you in faith regardless of the clarity of our sight. You are the Good Father and we trust in your provision, protection, love, and grace. Amen.
Meet the Author
Todd Shupe is a Men’s Ministry Specialist through the General Commission of United Methodist Men and is in training to be a Certified Lay Minister through the Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church. He currently serves as the President of the Baton Rouge District of United Methodist Men and is a Board Member for Gulf South Men and serves on the Action Team for The Kingdom Group. He is a volunteer for the Walk to Emmaus, Grace Camp, and Iron Sharpens Iron. Todd resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
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