Friday, September 04, 2009

Trust Beyond Understanding

I forgot to mention in my last journal entry an update on our living situation. I suppose I’ve been a bit distracted by everything else going on, because I haven’t thought about it as much as one might expect. As of now, we still do not know where God will open a door for us to stay. The Holy Spirit continues to remind me of God’s faithfulness—that He has already prepared a place for us, and that we are simply waiting for His perfect timing.

As the deadline approaches (this weekend), people around us seem to grow more anxious. They ask if we’re worried about ending up on the streets and what we’ll do if God doesn’t open a door. The truth is, we don’t know what God will do—but He has asked us to trust Him and wait.

This situation has reminded me of something the Lord recently revealed to me while reading the story of Noah. After God told Noah about the coming flood, gave him detailed instructions for building the ark, told him to gather the animals and provisions, and explained exactly what to do when the rain came, Scripture simply says:

“Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” (Genesis 6:22)

That sentence stopped me in my tracks. Noah didn’t argue or negotiate. He didn’t suggest improvements to God’s design or complain about the inconvenience—or the smell—of all those animals. He didn’t question the logic of it all. He simply obeyed. I couldn’t help but compare Noah’s response to what mine might have been.

We live in a world that encourages us to think for ourselves—to be self-sufficient rather than God-sufficient. As I reflected on that, I wondered why God gave us such capable, intelligent, creative minds if He ultimately asks us to obey rather than rely on our own reasoning. And then the Holy Spirit reminded me: it’s part of free will.

We are given the choice to lean on our own understanding or to trust and obey God. If our minds weren’t as capable as they are, there would be no real temptation to choose our logic over His leading. Once again, the choice mirrors the garden: what is “good for food and pleasing to the eye and desirable for gaining wisdom” versus obedience to God’s command (Genesis 2:17).

For temptation to be a true choice, it must be appealing. That realization hit me deeply. I find myself battling my own logic regularly in my walk with the Lord. So much of what He does makes little sense to me. It brings Isaiah 55:8 sharply into focus:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.”

Throughout Scripture, God repeatedly asked people to do things that defied human logic. Noah built an ark on dry land. Abraham was asked to sacrifice his promised son. Moses was led straight to the Red Sea with an army behind him. Ezekiel was told to lie on his side for hundreds of days. Hosea was commanded to marry an unfaithful woman. God has never been bound by what makes sense to us. He will ask whatever is necessary to accomplish His purposes and bring Him glory.

And so we come back to our living situation. We could panic, reason our way out, ask people to rescue us, or decide that God surely wouldn’t ask this of us. Or—we can trust Him, just as He has asked us to do, and wait. He has always come through for us, and I know He will again.

God is enough.

Father, I thank You that You are enough. Thank You for Your faithful provision and for meeting our needs according to Your riches in glory (Philippians 4:19). Help me to keep my eyes fixed on You—to seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness (Matthew 6:33), and to trust in You with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). I trust that You will take care of the rest, in Your perfect way and timing. In Jesus’ name, amen.