All in Faith/Trust
Tucked in the middle of the book of Jeremiah is a marvelous story of faith. Jeremiah repeatedly preached God’s word: Judah’s rejection of God would lead to their defeat by the nation of Babylon. He proclaimed Zedekiah, Judah’s king, would be taken captive, and Jerusalem would be destroyed.
God called Jeremiah to be a prophet, a voice of truth to a nation who desperately needed to listen to God. God’s call to Jeremiah was clear. Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations (Jeremiah 1:5).
My mother and sister were artisans when it came to counted cross-stitch. Carefully and meticulously, they added stitch by tiny stitch until the blank canvas was transformed into a stunning masterpiece.
As I grumbled over my credit card bill this morning, I thought that I well deserved every charge on it. I had received something, and the bill reflected what I must pay for it! But in my Bible Study today, I see this concept of credited righteousness, and I wonder why this wording is used three times in Scripture for Abraham. What is the big deal?
I checked the mirror one more time. Veil in place, dress smoothed, no lingering candy in my teeth from the last-minute snack attack with my bridesmaids.
Are these new verses to you? Not likely. Many of us have these verses memorized, and we even classify these as all-time favorites. These words are truth, but it is difficult for us to really live them out.
Listening, listening, always listening for the word of the Lord: Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way; walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21). God can and will make my paths straight.
Decisions, decisions. When the bonds of trust between humans have been broken, changes in your life will force choices out into the open.
Ladies, I profess utter and complete trust in the Lord with all my heart, yet what a fickle fool I am when things go awry.
It would be naïve of me, ladies, to think that everyone was privy to the years of innocent trust I experienced. Life is not always so kind.
Trust weighs heavy on my heart this year. Where to begin? My growing up years did not lack for trust. I felt secure and confident in my family, with friends, at school, in sports.
It was a bitter disappointment. My daughter had worked hard and felt like she’d demonstrated necessary skills to advance to the higher-level orchestra.
I had the privilege of keeping my grandson two days a week this summer. Of course, he did too many cute things to list here, but one such thing he repeated several times.
I cannot tell you how much money I have spent on trying to get a good night’s sleep.
Are these new verses to you? Not likely. Many of us have these verses memorized, and we even classify these as all-time favorites. These words are truth, but it is difficult for us to really live them out.
