Given the crisis our family has faced during the past week with the emergency we faced with our son's stay in the hospital, I was going back looking at articles I've written in the past about trust.In case there are those who read this blog who don't see my daily posts on FaceBook, I want to thank you for praying for our son, David, during this past week. We brought him home yesterday and he is fine. He was told that he needs to follow up with his doctor at home and will be on meds to suppress seizures but the blood clot is gone and he's okay now. Thank you so much for your concern and prayers.
I wrote this article more than a year ago but it seems timely right now:
Your Father’s heart toward you is to do you good. Don’t allow circumstances that would suggest otherwise to be the authority in your belief system. When the details of life scream that He doesn’t care, that you have been left alone to make it on your own – trust.
It is the tendency of us all to want to understand, but understanding is no substitute for trust. It is our inclination to want to be in control of our circumstances, but control is no substitute for trust. Trust in Him is the key to all of life.
When Israel faced the Red Sea, the pathway across was the way of trust. When Daniel was thrown into a den of hungry lions, the ladder out of that pit was trust. When Mary wept beside the tomb of her brother, Lazarus, the remedy for her pain resided in Jesus, who said, “only believe.” Trust Him.
Trust Him when one you love betrays you.
Trust Him when your bank balance is less than your need.
Trust Him when you don’t get the credit you deserve.
Trust Him when you are misunderstood, criticized and maligned.
Trust Him when you don’t know which way to turn.
Trust Him when life screams that it’s over, that there is no way out, that a happy ending is no longer possible.
Just trust Him.
God cannot lie. (Titus 1:2) He promises that His plan for you is to give you a bright future and hope. (Jeremiah 29:11) Despite any appearance to the contrary, He will never leave or abandon you in your circumstances. (Hebrews 13:5) Goodness and mercy will follow you every day of your life, then you’ll go home to be with Him forever. (Psalm 23:6) If you’ll just believe Him, you can rest. (Hebrews 4:3) Will you enter into His rest by trusting Him instead of believing in your interpretation of your circumstances? To belief is to have peace. (Isaiah 26:3) To refuse is to forfeit the rest He offers. (Hebrews 3:18-19)
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Amen and Hallelujah ! You preach it, Pastor McVey !! That was some church right there ! : )
ReplyDeleteMy dad passed away almost a year ago (in a few days)
ReplyDeleteHow can i trust God when I didn't see my dad come to know Christ? In his last week after a heart attack I prayed and prayed for him in my own time, and also prayed over him as he was dying of a 2nd heart attack in hosptial. I don't know if he could hear me in his last 2 hours, and i was not in the room when he passed away. He was 78 and i had been a carer for him for a few years. I had asked others to intercede for him too but i didn't see any 'salvation experience'.
I have been in torment ever since...thinking that my prayers failed and more that i failed...I even had to go to hospital in April this year for 9 days cos of a nervous breakdown. Cos i felt like any minute i could go to hell, cos if my dad might be there than i am there too.
I don't know how i can ever have any confidence in prayer again.....Although i am getting counselling my fear of death etc is often overwhelming and i may end up back in hospital again at some stage.
I felt responsible for my dad's salvation - so much so that in that last week despite praying for dad alot in my own time i just could not ask the vital question to dad when i visited him in hospital - along the lines of "Dad, would you like to know the love of God through Jesus?" etc.....cos i was so afraid that he might say "no". Now i torment myself for not doing even that 'little' thing.
This might be hard for some people to know how to respond..I understand that. I can't see how it can be resolved either..
How can i trust God when i just don't know at all the outcome of my dad's salvation ?
It's even harder when one goes to a church where most of the time we only hear good endings - at least they are the ones most talked about.
What can one say? "Well, at least you're saved, forget about your dad!" ....i don't know.
I want to trust in the Love of God, but i just don't know how my particular sitaution can be resolved. Life seems like it's over for me everyday, and death seems like it can come at any minute. Nothing but a direct revelation from God will help me i guess....
Thanks, Steve. What a great reminder that God is always loving us with His unconditional love no matter what our circumstances look like. I like the part where you said it's human nature for us to always want to understand what's going on, but our understanding is no substitute for trust. That is liberating! We do not have to understand everything, we just need to rest in His Supernatural Love and Care over our lives.
ReplyDeleteSteve, i realise my post earlier today may be awkward etc...but i'd be very sad if it is not posted...It was coming from my heart - one that is desperate. If these types of issues can't be aired openly than what hope do i have?
ReplyDeleteI fear that if you did not want to publish what i said than if only confirms to me that i may be forsaken by God....Is this an unresolvable issue?
I did not save my comment - so at least could you send it back to me - if you kept it?
Thankyou.
Amen! He promises He will NEVER leave nor forsake you!
ReplyDeleteYou have had some great miracles happen in your family. Praise God!
Out of the Collective - cut me some slack, brother. It was only four hours between your first and second post. Sometimes I don't move that fast :)
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to hear that you've been tormented by your Dad's death and the fear that you failed him in some way. I pray that you will be encouraged by a few facts.
1. Your Heavenly Father loves your Dad even more than you ever could. For that reason, I think you can have authentic reason to hope that your Dad trusted Christ without your being aware of it. God's love is relentlessly stubborn, so you can be sure that even as your Dad's moments in this world were ebbing away, the love of God was engulfing Him, encouraging and enticing him to believe.
2. We don't know what happens in those moments that we are exiting this world. As I indicated above, I personally think it may be possible that even in his final moments, you Dad may been confronted with the reality of Christ's love and may have trusted Him. I've heard many stories of near-death experiences where people trusted Christ because of what they saw when they nearly died. They woke up as believers. Do you think there are those who see the same, who don't wake up here but rather wake up "on the other side" as believers? I do.
3. It never was your role to cause your Dad to trust in Christ. That was/is the role of the Holy Spirit. You can trust Him and stop condemning yourself. Again, I stress: He loves your Dad more than you ever could, so entrust your Dad into God's hands.
You are completely right that in order for you to be free from this, you will need divine revelation. I sincerely pray that you will receive that. I also encourage you to find a grace filled counselor - not just a "Christian counselor" who will quote Bible verses to you. I don't know what part of Australia you live in, but I encourage you to find some grace walking Christians who can encourage and maybe direct you to someone who can walk with you through this. Unfortunately, counseling over the Internet and in public forum is unlikely to fully address your needs.
Know that I and others who may read this post will pray for you. Your Father loves you and you can trust Him with your Dad's eternal destiny. That's a fact that may not reach your feelings immediately, but one that you would benefit by affirming to yourself nonetheless.
May you find the peace you seek, my brother.
Steve,
ReplyDeleteHow timely is this post on trust for my own life right this minute. I was going to say how your post/blog touched my life so deeply, but instead, am going to commend you for your excellent, heartfelt, sincere, wonderful response to "Out of the Collective." That person should be counting their blessings that they even have ACCESS to you and your wonderful God-imparted-wisdom.
To Out of the C - I have a friend who lost her mother at age 46 from alcoholicism. Her mother had been a believer in her youth but she had many many problems and sins in her life. My friend was tormented that her mother was not in Heaven. A minister counselled her and assured that it was likely she was, she knew in her heart who Jesus was even if her life was a total mess.
ReplyDeleteI can't give more details than that, but I can agree with Steve that it is God's job to save, not ours, and your prayers would not have been ignored by your Heavenly Father.
I am in Aust too in Melb - whereabouts are you?
Thankyou Tashie for words.
ReplyDeleteI am from Adelaide.
I wrote back to Steve and thanked him for his words and said a bit more as well, but asked him not to add that comment to these at this stage.
When my dad was in hospital and afterwards ever since i 'received' a 'rhema' word saying "Be still and know that I am Love" - ie combining Psalm 46 with 1 John about God being Love....as if God was saying to me - Just know that I am Love - You can trust me with that - and not for me to be in control of everything else. The hard part for me is not to feel responsible,as i had been a carer for dad for the last few years until he died at 78. Also my earlier legalistic teaching was very Arminian focused - ie "the world's going to hell, and what are we doing about it?" etc....
One thing i can take heart in is that in his last week when i told dad i loved him - for the first time in my life i heard him say He loves me back. This occured a number of times in that last week but at the time it's hard to notice it when people are quite distressed by someone's health.
Sammy