Children of Light

Authored by Bradley Miller

As Christians we hear common phraseology such as “let go and let God” which rattles through our mind during tough moments but seems almost impossible to accomplish. Trusting in God is something every Christian is called to pursue wholeheartedly, and yet so many still result to trusting in themselves. Why?

 A few years back I boarded a plane to Florida to visit family. Fully expecting a harmless flight, I was quite surprised when the airliner suddenly dropped several hundred feet with no warning. My heart nearly leapt out of my body and I remained paranoid during the rest of the flight.

To this day, that sinking paranoia plays in my mind every time I board a flight, “Can I trust that this airplane won’t suddenly drop out of the sky?” Although statistically airplane accidents are less common than car crashes or even shark attacks, the fear in me overcomes all facts because of that one moment of broken trust.

I worry that our perspective on trusting God is similar. When you dig deep and analyze motivations for lack of trust I think there is a common theme that occurs in all Christians.

The story of our lack of trust is headlined mainly by unmet expectations based on previous moments of trust. We have all experienced that moment where we prayed for God to help us or get something for us, but at the end of it all nothing happened. Soon after, total discouragement and disappointment start to creep into our hearts. As that unchecked discouragement grows over time, we stop turning to God when life takes a turn for the worst. Our hearts have acclimated to the one (or multiple) time(s) that God “let us down”, and so we place trust in other micro gods we create for ourselves (substances, people, sexual temptation, etc.) – idols.

The staunch reality in this case is not that God “failed” us, but that we misunderstood how God wanted us to trust in Him. Our relationship with Him isn’t synonymous with a slot machine – input faith, hope you receive a big payout as soon as possible. Likewise, it’s not synonymous with a faithful bellboy who does your bidding. God’s design for relationship with Himself is actually greater than both.There exists a mighty plethora of locations within scripture to illuminate this idea, but the scene with Mary and Martha in John 11 captures it so well. After their brother Lazarus had been deceased for over a 48 hour period, the sisters spoke with Jesus who strategically delayed His arrival to help. Martha comments in the same way we all would, “You could have helped and I expected you to be there, but now it’s too late” (John 11:21). Nothing is too late or too gone for the power of Jesus.

What becomes evident after Jesus performs the miracle of resurrecting Lazarus is that He waited so that He could display God’s power all the more. This is the lesson we often forget – His glory comes before our personal satisfaction. Now, that can be a tough pill to swallow but take heart that God’s plans are mightier than ours. His ways of working out our salvation far exceed the outcomes we could conjure up ourselves. The resurrection of Lazarus is only one example.

Ultimate trust in God comes when we submit to His divine prerogative to do the greatest good unto His people. Sometimes we conceptualize our life in ways that are “good”. But through God’s care for us and His desire to work deeper salvation, we can rest assured that His ways are not only good, rather they are perfect.

1 God is our refuge and strength,

a very present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,

though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,

3 though its waters roar and foam,

though the mountains tremble at its swelling.

Psalms 46:1-3

For further study:

Romans 11:33-35

Proverbs 19:21

Isaiah 43:2-3