Some circumstances this week have made me take a hard, honest look at myself. You know, one of those times you look way down deep into the crevices where you keep things hidden because honestly, it can be a little ugly down there and sometimes it’s easier to ignore.
My cold, hard realization is that I am putting a huge amount of trust in myself. I am counting on my abilities, my charm, my intellect, and my resources (I’m not saying that I have an overabundance of any of these things, which makes it that much sadder that they are what I’m trying to rely on) to help me get through certain situations instead of trusting God. I have sat and thought about circumstances and thought about how I should handle things and have totally discounted what God may have to say about the matter.
I mean really, He’s just the creator of the universe and He only knows things like how many hairs are on my head and how many stars are in the sky, so how could He possibly know about my huge problems here on earth? That kind of mentality should make y’all feel just a little bit sorry for me, considering that I’ve been counting on my own intellect and if that doesn’t show how limited my thinking is, I don’t know what will.
Last Sunday as I sat in church, our pastor said something that really caused me to sit up and take a little soul inventory, “Don’t judge circumstances by what we see, but by what He says”. I’ve held on to it all week because what are any earthly problems compared to the unsurpassing sovereignty of what He says?
The other way I’ve heard this same thought expressed is that trusting in God is believing in His heart, when you can’t see His hand. It’s easy to believe in His goodness when all is right with my world, but what about when everything isn’t alright. What then?
I have to stop and remember that the God who led Moses, the God who protected Daniel in the lions’ den and the God who kept Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from burning alive is fully capable of handling my problems in the year 2006.
He’s still mighty, He’s still on the throne, and He’s still leading His people to the place He wants them to go even when the path looks scary and dark. He knows the way even when all I see is darkness and fear. He knows the way and when I quit looking to myself and am quietly on my knees before Him, He will show me.
Now my challenge is to quit looking at the strength I think the “chariots and horses” in my life can give me and start trusting in Him, remembering that He holds the answers in the palm of His hand.