How to Totally Trust God

How to Totally Trust God – Insights from God’s Word
''For I know the plans I have for you,'' declares the Lord, ''plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,'' declares the Lord, ''and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,'' declares the Lord, ''and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.'' - Jeremiah 29:11–14

And this is His plan: At the right time He will bring everything together under the authority of Christ -- everything in heaven and on earth. - Ephesians 1:10

How to Totally Trust God – Standing In His Presence
Prayer: Righteousness, holiness, justice, truth, purity -- over and over -- I am reminded of these attributes of our loving and compassionate God. You are a living example of these qualities -- and You make it possible for Your people to attain to this same glorious state. I’m not in the business of trying to explain all of this -- but I am in the business of learning to trust that You are who You say You are -- and You do what You say You do.

I am humbled this morning to realize that all around the earth in these days, You are raising up Your kids to be like You -- to have these same characteristics. I am also humbled as I recognize my own foolish impatience that desires to see this manifested in me, my family, my church, and my country right now! I am astonished at my human pride -- and humbled to recognize Your patience and Your unending love.

I admit freely Your ways don’t always make complete sense to me -- especially Your timing. I do see however, that over many years of hills and valleys, You have been teaching me a great deal about Your timing, and You have been showing me the path leading to righteousness, truth, and holiness. It has been my human need to see it all now -- and have it all now -- that in the end -- proved to me how prideful I was -- and how patient You are -- as You led me step by step to where I am today.

In this moment I am grateful that you reminded me years ago of the importance of Your timing and the critical need for me to obey. Recognizing my need for repentance is not always easy -- but it is the surest way I know to real freedom. Over all of these years You have allowed me to stumble and fall -- as I all too often was out of sync with Your timing. I am grateful for those years this morning.

I have a clarity of vision today that sustains me in the midst of the tsunami wave I have been riding for over 13 years now. I honestly wouldn’t trade one minute of the ups and downs I have endured as I have learned patience and most importantly, grabbed on to Your timing as my lifeline. I admit I still don’t always get it right, but I am also aware that You are continuing to grow my faith and trust -- as I become more and more dependent on You.

In retrospect, it is apparent how often I fell victim to a "fear of man" mentality. All too often I sought to seek the approval of "men" while denying the call to obey You had on my life. I learned from those mistakes -- sometimes painfully -- but in the end, I now live a life of freedom. I don’t ever want to go backwards, so each day I make sure You are at the top of my "to do" list. In even the smallest details I seek to please You, and as a result Your Holy Spirit has saved me from myself many times.

How can I thank You for teaching me the value of prayer? How will I ever be able to thank You for Your spiritual protection -- which has held me close to Your heart -- and kept me from falling victim to Satan’s counterfeits?

You are the beginning and the end for me, Jesus. You heal all my wounds, and You permit draw me closer and closer to Yourself every day. You have delivered me from my own sinful ways and have protected me from the spiritual warfare that rages all around me. You remind me often that one person can make a difference, and you also challenge me to recognize that I may never see the fruit of my life in this life. That has truly set me free -- free from expectations, presumptions, and assumptions.

You have taught me a lot about perseverance as you reminded me over and over that Your work takes time -- and You are never in a hurry. I’ve learned to just keep praying, to keep on keeping on. Thank You, Jesus, for the oftentimes costly lessons You have taught me as You have revealed your truth, righteousness, and holiness through my struggles -- and taught me how to trust and hope -- which has produced in me a joy and a peace I never thought was humanly possible.

I pray for everyone praying this prayer to be renewed again in Your truth, righteousness, and holiness so they can in turn be an expression of Your nature to all they meet. This is not about what we do for You as much as it is why we so what we do and who we do it for. I am convinced that is the pathway to peace -- and I pray all who pray this prayer -- find themselves firmly rooted on this path -- producing seeds as they go -- trusting that one day a great fruit will be the result -- all of it pointing to You and bring You honor and glory!

How to Totally Trust God – Making it Personal
Reflect: To be able to stand in the Presence of God and manifest His character, should be our daily goal. Christ revealed in us is holiness and righteousness -- and if we are to persevere to the end -- we need to recognize the importance of repentance, forgiveness, and the power of the Holy Spirit to make real lasting changes in our lives. As we cry out to Jesus asking us to make us more like Him, we are asking Him to make us righteous and pure and holy. We are asking Him to transform us. Please remember in all your comings and goings that God is a holy God -- and He also allows us to come closer to Him so He can reveal His glory -- His secrets -- His heart -- and His love -- by using us. What a privilege we have -- don’t miss out! Make Him your first priority in the morning by spending time in His Presence. He will transform you into His likeness and your life will never be the same again -- nor will the lives of those around you.