22 September 2009 Devotion for Today "Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart" Proverbs 3:1-10
1 My son, do not forget my law,
But let your heart keep my commands;
2 For length of days and long life
And peace they will add to you.
3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart,
4
And so find favor and high esteem
In the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct[a] your paths.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
8 It will be health to your flesh,[b]
And strength[c] to your bones.
9 Honor the LORD with your possessions,
And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
10 So your barns will be filled with plenty,
And your vats will overflow with new wine. (Proverbs 3:-10)
In May 1995, Randy Reid, a 34-year-old construction worker, was welding on top of a nearly completed water tower outside Chicago. According to writer Melissa Ramsdell, Reid unhooked his safety gear to reach for some pipes when a metal cage slipped and bumped the scaffolding he stood on. The scaffolding tipped, and Reid lost his balance. He fell 110 feet, landing face down on a pile of dirt, just missing rocks and construction debris. A fellow worker called 911. When paramedics arrived, they found Reid conscious, moving, and complaining of a sore back. Apparently the fall didn't cost Reid his sense of humor. As paramedics carried him on a backboard to the ambulance, Reid had one request: "Don't drop me!" (Doctors later said Reid came away from the accident with just a bruised lung.)
Apparently Reid was more fearful of falling a few inches than he was over a hundred feet, but the point was made- it is difficult to trust others, to put your complete trust into the hands of others. Will they handle your life as carefully as they would handle their own? When you are doing something that you really care about, do you think others will give it the same time, care, and attention that you do? More than once I've considered the old adage- "If you want something done right, do it yourself!"
Perhaps this is the reason that many people have difficulty trusting God with their lives. It's not that they don't love Him or appreciate what He has done for them, but the only thing they have to go on regarding trust is how they have tried to trust people and have been bitterly disappointed. It's hard, for example, for someone to trust a Heavenly Father when his own father was never there for them. It's also difficult to value what God has said in His Word when the word of so many was so undependable. However, the fear of being out of control, or not being in control works a vicious cycle. The more I try to be in control, the more I draw into my shell and the less will I grow- because my knowledge and understanding is so limited. In order to grow, I've got to learn to trust and to depend upon others. I have to trust that what my teachers tell me is the truth, I've got to trust the mechanic that he will fix my car so that it is running right. In fact, if I want to sustain a reasonably good standard of living, I've got to depend upon people I do not know, and probably will never meet, to keep the electricity, water, telephone and other utilities functioning normally. There is no way that I can live long enough to amass the knowledge and skills necessary to do all these things, let alone operate them myself. Yet I seldom think about them- I just trust them to be there and never think about the electric power unless there's been a power outage.
We can always depend upon God to be there for us. But He is better than the utility company. He has a face and a name whose presence is ever with us. With Him we are never alone and have Him as a constant companion. As we grow to know Him, we love Him, and see Him at work long enough to know that He is the best and most trusted Friend that we have.
Prayer: Dear Lord, I admit that I am not very trusting of others. So many over the years have let me down. But I know that You will never let me down. You have been there for everyone I've ever known and loved. I've seen many of them slip their hand into Yours as they stepped into eternity. I know I can depend upon You. Help me not to lean to my own understanding today, and to place my life in Your control. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Have a blessed day!
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