Trusting Jesus {that is all}

Yes.  A new blog post!

I AM here! I have just had a plethora of things to prevent me from getting a blog post written. Ill children.  Visitors.  Church events.  Oh, and a laptop that's really not very happy.

As I have said before, my family and other commitments always come first, and blogging slips down the list at times of busyness. That said, I miss sharing what's on my heart, and, of course, I am still to share about our UH-MAZ-ING trip to "The Continent"!

I am still quite busy, catching up from a crazy week just gone by, so the holiday post will have to wait.

Today's post is immensely relevant, however.  It sums up what I have been dealing with these last few weeks - in fact, what we ALL deal with EVERY day.

Let me wind back a little, to the day we got home from holiday.  It had been a tiring couple of days, and it was past 9pm on a Saturday evening. We pulled into the drive, to see this....

OK, so, not exactly. What we see was our rose bush completely fallen in front of our front door! This is actually Robert moving it, so we can get IN our front door! 

I love that rose bush, and I really hoped it wasn't damaged. Thankfully, although fallen over (we had terrible windy weather when we were gone - shame, we didn't have that in Italy.... *wink*), it wasn't damaged. The trellis was totally ruined, though. No trellis, no rose bush.

Regularly, I am very thankful for my wonderful husband.  He reassured me he could sort it out. He'd build a new trellis.

Well, one day I came into the garage to find a few long pieces of wood. Apparently, that was going to be a new trellis. For a start, I couldn't quite "get" how you could get a rose bush to weave itself into a new trellis, as they grow INTO one, usually. Secondly, I had no idea how one would even build such a thing. It seemed slightly complicated, and such a big jumbled mess of fallen over rose, and pieces of wood. To my brain, it just didn't seem doable.

I mentioned that I was thankful for Robert. I am thankful that he DOES know what he's doing. He tried to explain, and I just said "Listen, you know what you're doing, and I trust you to do it. I know you are very capable, and it will get sorted. I'll leave you to it.".

And, he did.  I won't go into the technical details, but he got my rose bush pinned back up into the wall, intertwined into a very strong trellis that won't go anywhere in a hurry!

The whole situation reminded me of my life. So often, I have things that "fall apart", or situations that are out of my control. I don't understand God's hand in it all, neither do I understand how He will work it all out. This I DO know - God is in control. God has a plan, and I don't need to understand.  I simply need to trust. I can ask for answers, but I may not always get them. My job is to trust the God who framed the earth, who created all things, whose power sustains His creation, and whose plans are perfect and past finding out. 

There are so many verses in God's Word that teach us about trust. Overarching so many of those, is the concept of protection. Our trust in the Lord will protect us from harm. Does that mean we don't have struggles and trials? Of course not! It means we will feel safe and secure in the MIDST of those trials and struggles.  

So, what IS this trust we can have? God's Word spells it out clearly.

Trusting God is safety -   "And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; 

The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence."

2Samuel 22:2-3  

I don't think you can be more specific than THAT! We can trust God to be our rock of sure foundation, our rock. He is our fortress, a secure defence from the attacks of evil. HE is our deliverer, from the trials we face. He is  our shield, to defend us against the fiery darts of the wicked one.  He is our tower, that we can flee to from attack.  He is our refuge - we can run to Him and be safe. He is our SAVIOUR! WE can trust Him, above and before all else, for our sure salvation! WE can trust Him to fully, completely, and never-failingly to save us from eternal judgement. 

Trusting God is security - "How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings."

Psalm 36:7  

This may seem like safety, but, for me, this adds an even greater degree of trust. We may know we are safe from harm, but do we feel a SECURITY? A peace and rest in the knowledge of that safety? A CALM within the storm? That's what trusting God brings. Like a mother hen tucking her chicks in the safety of her wings, close to her side, so we know that we can trust God to keep us secure in His perfect plan and protection. 

Trusting God is confidence - "Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass."

Psalm 37:5  

What basis do we have for trusting God? Well, we trust that what He has promised will be fulfilled. We trust His Word.  If we are fully trusting God, and place our confidence in Him - if our ways are committed to Him, He will bring His promises to pass.  If He has promised something to you, in His Word, as one of His dear children, He CAN be trusted to fulfil it

Trusting God is extreme -  "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him:"

 Job 13:15

Job is the perfect example of "extreme trust".  Job was allowed to go through the most awful trials. You can hardly imagine the torment of mind, body and soul that he endured. And yet, he trusted God COMPLETELY. He said even if he was to die, he still trusted God, and what He was allowing Him to go through. Our struggles may be extreme, but our trust must remain.

Trusting God is guidance- "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

Proverbs 3:5-6

This verse is so often read, and heard, we can easily lose its significance. First, we need whole hearted trust. We can't be half hearted, or even just a sliver of our heart. We need to fully trust Him, with every fibre of our being. Then, we need to not incline our hearts to our own wisdom and understanding. In everything we do, and in all the decisions we make, we need to acknowledge the Lord and His Word as our God, our leader, our authority. THEN....then, he will direct our paths. That whole-hearted trust will be the guide and direction we need for every step of the way. 

Trusting God is joy - "But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them:"

Psalm 5:11  

I love this one. LOVE. IT.

If we are trusting God, as we should, we need to have joy.  Not just have it, but SHOUT for joy! Why?  Because our trust is our defence. We are safe, secure and at rest in God, and all who He is, when we are trusting in Him.  How can we NOT rejoice?! We need to let the whole world know that NO MATTER WHAT life throws at us, we are trusting, and we have joy. Our heart should be so full of love and appreciation for everything God is to us, that we should rejoice.  Knowing that we can trust Him through all circumstances, no matter how trying, should be reason to shout for joy! 

Trusting God is blessing -  "Blessed are all they that put their trust in him." 

Psalm 2:12

It seems so short, simple and basic. Yet, there is so much richness bound up in this statement. If you begin to ponder the blessing we receive from God's hands, from simply trusting Him, the words become so full!  All these things that are a result of our trust, are blessings in and of themselves.  Strength, security, peace, joy, direction, guidance, and confidence. Blessing upon blessing. But, think!  think upon all the blessings that we experience because we trust God. There are so many.  The fulfilment of each promise is a direct result of trusting Him to be faithful and true. We may not deserve it, and we may not trust Him as we should, but His generous nature lavishes us time after time.

Today.  This week.  This year.  Whatever your circumstances are, and even if you can't understand why you are going through them, or how God will work them out, you CAN trust Him.  Not only can you trust God, but He will bless you abundantly when you do, time and time again.

Simply trusting every day,

Trusting through a stormy way;

Even when my faith is small,

Trusting Jesus, that is all.

Trusting as the moments fly,

Trusting as the days go by;

Trusting Him whate’er befall,

Trusting Jesus, that is all.

Brightly does His Spirit shine

Into this poor heart of mine;

While He leads I cannot fall;

Trusting Jesus, that is all.

Singing if my way is clear,

Praying if the path be drear;

If in danger for Him call;

Trusting Jesus, that is all.

Trusting Him while life shall last,

Trusting Him till earth be past;

Till within the jasper wall,

Trusting Jesus, that is all.

Edgar P. Stites

(as a side note, the fortress in the picture was from my travels in Italy! - a taster of what's to come...)