Why does it seem like almost every lesson God brings into my life involves trusting Him? I have been thinking about that question and here are a few conclusions I have came to (not necessarily in the order of importance and not necessarily with chapter and verse to back them up) regarding why God continues to place "Learn to Trust" on my daily list of spiritual homework.
1. Learning to trust the Lord demands a continual dependence on Him. If I were to master trusting in the Lord, where would that place humility and dependence on the all-sufficiency of the Lord in the life of the believer?
2. The continual need to trust in the Lord results in a constant reminder of who I am in comparison to Who God is: God is the One who remains the same. He is the One Who is faithful to His never-changing Word. He is the One Who has promised and will fulfill His promises. In contrast, however, I am the one who constantly doubts. I am the one who is fickle in my relationship with Him. I am the one who may say one things one minute, and then do something totally contrary to what I just said the next minute. God is the One Who is never-changing. I can trust Him.
3. Learning to trust the Lord is not something unique to my life: Trusting is a part of my spiritual walk with the Lord. All throughout the Bible, we find account after account of individuals who struggled with understanding and following God's plan...and God had to remind them of Who He is-- that they could trust Him. Way back in Genesis, Abraham and Sarah, both mentioned in the famous chapter of faith, had to learn to trust the Lord. The wandering Israelites, and then the conquering Israelites, produced countless incidences in areas where they trusted (or failed to trust) the Lord. The Apostle Paul gives testimony of when he really did not understand why God would allow the "thorn in his flesh", but even in not fully understanding, Paul had the deep-seated trust and confidence in God's grace and strength: He could continue to trust the Lord.
No, I don't think I will ever hand in my final exam for the course "Trusting God 101." But...as each test comes and goes, it is wonderful to be able to testify of God's incredible faithfulness and then to grow in a confidence that not only could I trust Him in the past, but I can continue to trust Him in the future!
