Welcome to the Patchwork Blog! I hope you enjoy reading my random thoughts about life, Jesus and the freedom he offers.

Friday 7 September 2012

Trusting in God's Goodness and Love

I've been working on how to trust God these last few weeks. It's been hard. I've been making the same mistake as I so often do. I have been confusing my feelings with trusting or having faith. I should have known better. I learned this and also wrote about it in my book, He Never Let Go, when I learned to believe once more in the existence of God as an act of my will, rather than waiting to feel this faith. 

Over the last few weeks I've been trying to squeeze out trust as a feeling and condemning myself when I feel afraid. I gave in my notice at work 5 1/2 weeks ago. As my job is residential it means in 2 1/2 weeks time I  not only have no job but I also have nowhere to live either. 


I allowed fear to get hold of me and I thought this meant I was unable to trust. Then I started to realise (again!) that trusting in God is an act of my will. I  decided that I can choose to trust him despite what is going on around me. But what am I basing this trust on? What is the foundation of this trust?

  

Abstract View of Bexhill Beach

I took the photo on the left on Bexhill beach a few weeks ago. I don't know why I took it. I was playing around with abstract ideas. I thought I would see if I could get all the posts lined up in the photo. I quite like the shot. I wish I had had my camera with me rather than just a mobile phone.

Looking at this photo now I remember to get the posts lined up I lined up the first two posts first. I changed my position until the first two were in line. And then because the posts were already in a line the rest just automatically fell into place. 



I realise now that there are two things I can base my trust in God on.


1. God is good all the time
2. God loves me more than anyone else ever will and proved it by dying for me.  

When I get these two things into line I find the trust comes much easier. It starts to fall into line. I chose to accept that God is good and He loves me. It makes trusting so much easier. I didn't feel the trust it was a choice I made as an act of my will. 


Earlier this week Bill Johnson put the following status on his Facebook page. "I will not sacrifice the idea that God is good on the altar of human reasoning in order to find an answer for what I don't understand or can't explain." (Bill Johnson).


I may not always know why I am going through hard times. I may not be able to find an answer for it but I can chose to believe that God is good and He loves me. 


Trust Him - it makes so much else fall into place. It makes life that much easier! A kind friend Dave texted me the following well known verses this week. It was so good to be reminded of them. 


"Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6