Learning to Trust God

GOD’S PROMISE:

“The steadfast of mind

You will keep in perfect peace,

because he trusts in You.” 

– Isaiah 26:3

MY PRAYER: Father,

As the years progress,

I often hear people talk

About how much they trust You,

But their proclamations seem less sincere

Than the promises of a fickle lover.

Lacking tangibility and depth,

Their affirmations, which flow mellifluously

From their self-serving lips,

Have selfish and egotistical motives,

Which are devoid of worthwhile substance.

Their loyalty has not been forged

By adversity nor weathered by hardship.

Their trust seems shallow and simplistic,

Rather than strong, resilient, and steadfast.

Believing that whining and demanding

Will gain favor, rather than being authentic,

They come before You with hearts that are

Petulant, peevish, proud, and pompous.

Lacking gratitude, they seem arrogantly self-righteous.

I understand their perspective completely,

Having spent decades of my life

Coming before You in precisely

The same self-serving, self-centered way—

Never understanding, never conceding

That You know what is best for me.

I acknowledge my effrontery and selfishness.

I have foolishly thought that my way

Was better than Yours, but I was mistaken.

I have wanted my will over Yours, believing that

When You refused to grant my demands,

You were being distant and detached—

Unloving, uncaring, rigid, and unconcerned.

How foolish I have been, Father, how foolish.

You do know what is best for me.

After years of perusing such frivolity,

I now understand the error of my ways.

I wish I had realized this sooner,

But I lacked the necessary maturity and discernment.

Now, as wisdom settles deep within me,

I bow me knee and acknowledge this truth:

You give and take away,

You give and take away,

You give and take away,

Blessed be Your name,

Amen.

MY SLOGAN: It’s easy to talk the talk, but you have to walk the walk.

MY AFFIRMATIONS:

—Despite my circumstances, I am strong, resilient, and steadfast.

—I willingly bow my knee before You and accept Your will for my life.

—Each day, I am becoming more mature and a better version of myself.

—The Lord is the strength of my life; I shall not fear.

MY MEDITATION: Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord and He will have compassion on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are My ways higher than your ways,

and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

– Isaiah 55:6-9

MY JOURNAL:

The Lord is the strength of my life, but I still have problems with fear, including:

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In the past, there are reasons why my maturity has been stymied. Here are three:

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I have tried these ways to break free from my self-imposed limitations:

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