While playing at the playground with my grandson-- before he could reach the bars for himself-- he would ask me to help him up to the top of the fireman’s pole so he could begin to slide down. He would then bravely slide down to the bottom by himself. He just needed to know I was there in case anything happened.
There were times that he would be standing on a platform and want to jump. But first he wanted to know that I was going to catch him. One time in particular, at a pretty good height as I recall, he wanted to jump but was very afraid to. He started to back away and climb down another way, but I asked him if he trusted me. After a little coaxing, he was finally convinced that it was safe for him to jump out into my arms. He jumped and I caught him and in that way built a little trust with him.
We are no different with our Heavenly Father. We are scared of what is out in front of us. Or we just want to know that He is there. For whatever reason, we get the idea that He might not be or that we could jump and He wouldn’t be there. Our issue is trust, the same as it was in the beginning. The Bible describes it this way: “Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the creatures the Lord God had made.” Genesis 3:1 NLT He then proceeded to hand the woman, Eve, a line that he still uses with us today. He tried to convince her, as he does with us, that God cannot be trusted. That He is somehow holding out on us. As his silky smooth words convinced her, he started to write the book on how to trick every single human being that has ever existed into believing that God is not trustworthy.
Think back into your past. Has anyone disappointed you, promising one thing but not delivering? Maybe a parent wounded you with words or actions. Have you been betrayed by someone you love? A parent, a sibling or a good friend, or spouse? Have you allowed this disappointment, to affect your view of God and His character? Does His nature appear to you as less than trustworthy? Do you believe that His Love for you is conditional? The most fundamental question you can ask yourself is, “Do I really trust God?”
When we pray about something and then it still consumes us, who have we spoken to in prayer? If it still weighs heavily on our minds, does that mean that God handed it back to us? Or did we just fail to leave it there? Is He a God big enough to handle our petitions? Or have we made Him into our image, and therefore we find Him untrustworthy? How can we trust in Him for Salvation from Sin, Death and Hell, but not trust Him with our lives? Is He unfamiliar with the most miniscule details of our lives? Does He just not care? Is He silent in our shouting? Is He distant in our suffering? Has He left us alone like orphaned children? By all means no! Just because He does not grant us every request and life is unfair, does not mean that He can’t be trusted. What it does mean is that we are selfish and want things our way.
The God who left Heaven and stepped down into His Creation, came and died on a cross of wood. Basically, he bled to death, “drowning in His own blood” for your sin and mine. A noble act? Or Proof of His Love and Faithfulness to us? God is not like any other person we have ever known. He will not abandon us if we have a miscue or fall short. He never grows tired or weary of hearing our petitions. He delights in us! He will never tell you how bad/wrong/sinful you are. He will never crouch down and get in your face to unload on you in anger. He will not mercilessly discipline you until you cannot stand up anymore. His Love for you was made clear and concise at the cross. When you flog yourself, He would have you to stop. He desperately wants you to know How Loved and Treasured you are! He died to proclaim His Love for you!
It’s been said that He was thinking of us as He hung on that tree, drinking the cup and consuming all of our sin and shame. Somehow, it brought Him great Joy to die for us. He could have let us go and slip out into eternity, without ever having a chance to Trust in Him. But He didn’t. He showed us that there was No Greater Love than His. How can we not Trust Him?
Come to Him and trust. He has been there your whole life; waiting, watching and always longing for you to Trust Him. When you have lost ones that you love. When you have been told that you were not good enough or would never measure up. When you were abandoned and left all alone by one or both parents. In the sickness that took the life of the one you loved so dearly. In the trials that have tested not only your patience but sanity as well. He has never done anything less than love you as you are, and longed for you to come to Him so that He can show you all that you can be. He is Faithful. He is Sure. He is Trustworthy…. Come Home.
There were times that he would be standing on a platform and want to jump. But first he wanted to know that I was going to catch him. One time in particular, at a pretty good height as I recall, he wanted to jump but was very afraid to. He started to back away and climb down another way, but I asked him if he trusted me. After a little coaxing, he was finally convinced that it was safe for him to jump out into my arms. He jumped and I caught him and in that way built a little trust with him.
We are no different with our Heavenly Father. We are scared of what is out in front of us. Or we just want to know that He is there. For whatever reason, we get the idea that He might not be or that we could jump and He wouldn’t be there. Our issue is trust, the same as it was in the beginning. The Bible describes it this way: “Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the creatures the Lord God had made.” Genesis 3:1 NLT He then proceeded to hand the woman, Eve, a line that he still uses with us today. He tried to convince her, as he does with us, that God cannot be trusted. That He is somehow holding out on us. As his silky smooth words convinced her, he started to write the book on how to trick every single human being that has ever existed into believing that God is not trustworthy.
Think back into your past. Has anyone disappointed you, promising one thing but not delivering? Maybe a parent wounded you with words or actions. Have you been betrayed by someone you love? A parent, a sibling or a good friend, or spouse? Have you allowed this disappointment, to affect your view of God and His character? Does His nature appear to you as less than trustworthy? Do you believe that His Love for you is conditional? The most fundamental question you can ask yourself is, “Do I really trust God?”
When we pray about something and then it still consumes us, who have we spoken to in prayer? If it still weighs heavily on our minds, does that mean that God handed it back to us? Or did we just fail to leave it there? Is He a God big enough to handle our petitions? Or have we made Him into our image, and therefore we find Him untrustworthy? How can we trust in Him for Salvation from Sin, Death and Hell, but not trust Him with our lives? Is He unfamiliar with the most miniscule details of our lives? Does He just not care? Is He silent in our shouting? Is He distant in our suffering? Has He left us alone like orphaned children? By all means no! Just because He does not grant us every request and life is unfair, does not mean that He can’t be trusted. What it does mean is that we are selfish and want things our way.
The God who left Heaven and stepped down into His Creation, came and died on a cross of wood. Basically, he bled to death, “drowning in His own blood” for your sin and mine. A noble act? Or Proof of His Love and Faithfulness to us? God is not like any other person we have ever known. He will not abandon us if we have a miscue or fall short. He never grows tired or weary of hearing our petitions. He delights in us! He will never tell you how bad/wrong/sinful you are. He will never crouch down and get in your face to unload on you in anger. He will not mercilessly discipline you until you cannot stand up anymore. His Love for you was made clear and concise at the cross. When you flog yourself, He would have you to stop. He desperately wants you to know How Loved and Treasured you are! He died to proclaim His Love for you!
It’s been said that He was thinking of us as He hung on that tree, drinking the cup and consuming all of our sin and shame. Somehow, it brought Him great Joy to die for us. He could have let us go and slip out into eternity, without ever having a chance to Trust in Him. But He didn’t. He showed us that there was No Greater Love than His. How can we not Trust Him?
Come to Him and trust. He has been there your whole life; waiting, watching and always longing for you to Trust Him. When you have lost ones that you love. When you have been told that you were not good enough or would never measure up. When you were abandoned and left all alone by one or both parents. In the sickness that took the life of the one you loved so dearly. In the trials that have tested not only your patience but sanity as well. He has never done anything less than love you as you are, and longed for you to come to Him so that He can show you all that you can be. He is Faithful. He is Sure. He is Trustworthy…. Come Home.
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