Have you ever felt helpless, feeling like your hands are tied? You want to be able to do something, to help make things better, but it seems that there is nothing you can do.
I experienced this yesterday when I got a message from my son, who has been in India for the last couple of months. His message was, “Hey, not to freak you out but I’m being held in the country.”
He had applied for two 30-day visas. But apparently the second visa was not acceptable. He did not know this until he arrived at the airport to get on the airplane to come home. They would not allow him to board the airplane home. At that point his ticket was no longer valid. He was in a hard place at this point because now he has not ticket and no money. It turned out that they considered him being in the country illegally for 30 days, which a lot of people were amazed that he was able to do that.
He had to wait until the next morning to go to the Embassy to work things out. He filled out the appropriate paperwork but they would not issue him an exit visa until he got a ticket.
It amazes me every time how God works. A few months ago my son went with a friend to an event in another state. This friend gave him an emergency credit card to use if he ever ran into any difficulties. He hasn’t had a need for it until last night. He needed to get the ticket and he had no money but he was able to get it because he had the card with him.
It made me think about the verse that says, “…Before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” Isaiah 65:24 He is always there to answer even before we ask.
My son still doesn’t have his exit visa at this writing. I do know that God has not brought him this far, to let him down, He has a plan. His goal is to teach each one of us that no matter what is happening in our lives we need to trust Him.
How can we learn to trust Him? It seems so hard and scary at the same time. I can tell you from experience that it is easier to talk about than to actually do. But I am going to share a few ideas that can help in bringing about this trust.
- Get to know God. This seems almost elementary but this is profound. We need to be in His Word and reading how he has led. See His ways. We tend to put God in this box of our own earthly experiences of trusting other people. God is way bigger and loves you way more than any human is even capable of doing.
- Claim His promises. We need to claim His promises. We can’t see His purposes for what comes into our lives but we can claim the promise of Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”
- Spend time in prayer. We need to agonize with God at times. I don’t believe agonizing is for Him but for us. It is hard to give up our control and let Him have control. We want things to go the way we think is best. God knows things that we do not know.
- Reach out to others to pray for you. There is power in prayer. And the more people who pray the more power. This gives others the opportunity to share in the blessing of answered prayer.
- Let go and let God. After we have done all that we can do we need to let go and let God. As I said before it is easier said than done. This is the only way we can have peace through the storms of life.
Dear Father,
We all struggle with trusting You. Give us courage and strength. Thank You for Your patience and unfailing love.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
It can be a struggle but remember you can pour out your heart to God and He understands all. He is a big God and He can even handle you being angry with Him. The peace that comes in trusting is worth it all.
Love you all.
Have you had a hard time trusting God? Has there been a time when you did trust God and it was worth it all?
Please share your experiences no matter how big or small. This helps all of us build trust in God.