Hello again everyone. Before I begin this week’s topic, I want to take a little time to apologize for my absence. I could give you the reasons for missing two weeks of posting, but in all honestly, I could have prepared better. Therefore, I apologize for being gone for almost three weeks, but I am finally back.

            So much has happened in the course of these 15 days. There were a few good moments, but even more so, some really hard moments. No one would think that so much could happen in such a short amount of time. I won’t go into the details of the hard moments because the lesson to take from them is one and the same. In those hard to bear moments, as hard as it may be, we need to trust in God.

            I know that I have spoken on trust time and time again, but there is a reason that trust is important.  In our own day to day relationships, how can we grow close to someone if we don’t trust them? Or how can a relationship thrive is there is no trust? The answer is that any relationship without trust cannot thrive. If our Earthly relationships need trust, then think of how much more trust we need in order for our relationship with God to grow?

“And those who know Your name will put their trust in You;
For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.” – Psalm 9:10

I know that trusting in God can be hard at times. When things in your life seem to be going well, it’s easy to say that you trust God. However, when the waves seem bigger, when the walls come closing in, when it becomes hard to breathe, when you can’t seem to find the light, when everything and everyone seems to be beyond reach, I know it can be hard to trust in Him. As humans, we find it hard to trust in someone whom we can’t see, touch, or hear. If we look at things from our own limited view, it’s true. We cannot see Him, touch Him, or hear Him. However, when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we begin to see Him in our daily lives. We can feel Him touch our hearts and change us. We begin to hear His voice guide us on the right path. When we genuinely seek Him, He reveals Himself to us.

“But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” – Deuteronomy 4:29

In those hard times, we need to let go of our pride and of our fears. Leave all your worries and all your troubles in God’s hands and trust that He will take care of you. If you choose to run away and do things on your own, you may miss the blessing He has in store for you. Look at the example of the Jews that God rescued from the oppression of Egypt. God freed them from a powerful nation. When it looked like they Egyptians had cornered them by the sea, God parted the waters so they may travel to the other side safely. God gave them bread and meat from the heavens. He provided them with flowing water from a rock. They saw many miracles as they made their way towards the promised land. However, they allowed their fear and doubt overcome them each time that things looked hard. It is because of this that they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. They missed the blessing that God had in store for them.

            Out of the many people liberated, only two trusted that God could overcome any obstacle that they faced…Joshua and Caleb. It is because of that trust that they both got to not only see but live in the land that God had promised them. We need to be like Joshua and Caleb. We need to trust God and know that there is no obstacle, no hardship that He can’t overcome. And even when things don’t seem to be getting better, know that God has a plan for everything you are going through. Joseph went through a lot of heartaches and in the end, God blessed him immensely by making him second in command under Pharaoh. This blessing saved countless people during a terrible famine. God knows what He is doing, so trust in Him.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.” – Proverbs 3:5-8

            Therefore, if you are going through a hard time, leave it all at His feet. Not only will He help you get through it, but He will give you the peace and strength you need to keep going. God is our refuge and our strength, as it says in Psalm 46. Stay focused on Him and let Him do all the heavy lifting. We were never meant to do things alone. Jesus gave His life so that He may reside in us and be with us always. Give everything you have, everything you are to Him, trust in Him, and you will see how He works in your life.

“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 Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.” – Isaiah 26:3-4