Trust God.
This phrase is so simple and if someone were to come up to you, asking if you trusted God you'd probably say yes. Two years ago or even two weeks ago I would've said yes of because of course I trusted God. Of course He's totally in control but two years ago my life turned upside down. I moved and lost contact with a lot of my friends. My dog then died and I was left with the question, Why? Why did this happen? I'm a good Christian, I pray three times a day., I try to read my Bible, I go to church every Sunday. Why is this happening to me? All the trust I thought I had in God disappeared. I couldn't understand that my situation was part of God's big master plan. Through that time I struggled so much with my faith. Knowing God is good and believing it is difficult to accept when bad things happen. About six months after all this happened, I finally was tired of trying to run from God and stopped pushing Him away. So thankful for God's never-ending mercy.
Then two weeks ago, in one of my classes someone gave a prayer request, about an eleven year old boy who has stage 4 cancer and he doesn't have much, if any, hope. My heart broke and I once again came to God asking "Why?" Not in the angry way I had before but this time with tearful eyes and an aching heart. Now you're probably asking the same question, why? We've all asked this question at some point whether to God, a family member, or friend. So what's the answer? When these bad things happen what's the answer to the echoing question of why? Well there isn't one. I know you're probably reading this rolling your eyes like of course there isn't an answer but wait! Don't stop reading, because I do have something of an answer to this unanswered question. We don't need to know the answer to the question. Let me show you an example in the Bible- Job. He lost everything he had, even his health, but he never cursed God. In my Bible class at school they put it this way-
"We don't need to know why we just need to know God."
As far as we know from scriptures, Job never found out why God let all those awful things happen to him. He didn't hear the conversation between Satan and God. God didn't tell Job what happened but Job still trusted that God was fully in control. Now let's go back to the question...why? So will we ever find out why these bad things happen or why bad things happen to good people? Will we find out why this boy has stage 4 cancer? Probably not. Now let me also say, sometimes we do in a way, find out. We can look back and say, "Wow, God did that in my life because... or to...." Maybe it was to grow you closer to Him, to point the people around you to Christ, or to prepare you to encourage someone in the future. There are many possible reasons to why things happen(ed) the way that they do/did.
A second point I'd like to make is that we need to give God 100% of our lives. I tend to be a control freak. I like to be in control, have things planned out, everything going to plan and smoothly. Is having things planned out wrong? No of course not, but when we try to be God and control our lives in that way, we're telling God that we could do a better job at writing our story than He can. God is 100% in control of our lives and when we finally relinquish the small aspect of our life that we''re trying to control it can lead to so much peace and a lot less stress like we don't need to stress about our future- God has our back and let me make sure I'm clear on this: God IS in control whether we relinquish the little aspect of life we try to control or not. His power in NO way depends on us.
These truths are so important to remember and keep in mind all throughout life.
I also wanted to say something that I totally missed saying up until now. Something that a friend pointed out when they read my post before I posted it. Through trials we're bringing glory to God, a perfect example of this is the blind man in the Bible, the disciples asked who had sinned, the parents of the blind man or the blind man himself, Jesus answered saying that neither had sinned but the man was blind so that God's power could be shown and for the glory of God. (John 9:1-12)
It's not all about us. Our trials show God's power and bring Him glory!
Also last night my youth group talked about trusting God with ALL your heart.
One of the pastors in my church gave his testimony and I don't want to go and share it all but it was absolutely amazing seeing how something tragic happening in his life showed him how real his faith was.
When your faith is challenged and trials come at you, it will show what you truly trust in. My friend put it this way...
" Picture this. You are holding a cup of coffee when someone comes along and bumps into you, making you spill your coffee everywhere. Later that day you tell me about this encounter. 'Why did you spill the coffee?' I ask. 'Because someone bumped into me!!!' you answer. 'Wrong,' I say. “You spilled the coffee because there was coffee in your cup. Had there been tea in the cup, you would have spilled tea. If there was milk, juice, water, whatever. . . you would have spilled that. Whatever is inside the cup is what will spill out.'
Friends, when life comes along and shakes you - which WILL happen - whatever is inside you will come out. It's easy to fake it until you are shaken - then it’s game over. So we have to ask ourselves. . . “what's in my cup?" When life gets tough, what spills over? Joy, gratefulness, peace, and humility? Or anger, bitterness, harsh words, and selfish reactions?
Life provides the cup, YOU choose how to fill it."
-My friend, J.S.
I hope you think about what I've said and I pray that you would have authentic faith.
Thank you for reading my post <3
