Trust

Imagine a farmer, struggling throughout his life to make ends meet and provide for his family. Despite working to the point of collapse, he’s never able to produce enough to meet their needs. Life for them is bitter. The soil he’s farming is thirsty and full of rocks, yielding a spare crop. Most of his friends have come to ruin, or are headed there. Once a month, the banker from a nearby town comes to inspect his holdings. He repeatedly urges the farmer to let go of his life and make a fresh start on good land. Knowing that he's a rich and powerful man, the farmer doesn't trust him. He fails to realize that the banker is not only wealthy, but good. Unwilling to listen, in the end, they lose everything.

We can be like that farmer, unwilling to trust God’s goodness toward us. He lays the wealth of life before us, if we would only place ourselves in his hands. He’s powerful, and mysterious, and everything belongs to him, but he’s good. He has good for us. Jesus said in John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (NIV). This is true for all who would entrust themselves to him, both then and now.

“He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure” (Isaiah 33:6). He is our sure foundation. When our lives are built on him, we have all we need. The key is respect for who he is—believing in his power, but also his kindness. When we get this, we can drop our attempts at control, and begin seeking his wisdom and plans for our lives. Trusting him won't disappoint, because “God is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19).

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). People often fail to risk, even if their attempts at life are not working. They’re like a house that has been boarded up. They’re waiting for someone to come, open the windows, and let the light and fresh air in. Don’t stay stuck—own your life! Open yourself to God. Take the risk—find everything. Remain where you are—gain nothing.

He gives us the choice of life and death: Trust him. Choose life.