“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'” ~ Psalm 91:1-2
These two verses have become especially meaningful to me over the past few months. With college right around the corner and big life decisions to make, I’ve become somewhat acquainted with anxiety and unrest. Although I’ve experienced many sleepless nights, I’ve also experienced God’s grace countless times in my life. He’s shown me the true peace and rest that come from surrendering my future into His capable hands!
Breaking it down
Fully trusting God with our lives is very difficult. As humans, we long to be in control. We want to create the lives that we desire, believing that we truly know what’s best for ourselves. But trying to hold onto the reins of our lives will only result in anxiety, fear, and distress. The only remedy for our troubled lives is to submit everything to God, truly believing His promise that He will work everything out for our good and His glory!
Although the process of surrender is so challenging, it becomes a whole lot easier when we’re able to shift our focus from our own lives and circumstances to God and His character. The foundation of trust is credibility. What we learn from Scripture about the attributes of God shows us just how worthy He is of our trust! I want to specifically focus on four of His characteristics that I believe most correlate with this topic.
God is all-powerful
Psalm 147:5 says, “Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; His understanding is beyond measure.” God has complete freedom to do what He sees fit, and He has the full ability to carry out everything that needs to be done.
God is good
Nahum 1:7 states, “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him.” The reality that God is all-powerful would not be as comforting to us if it did not go hand in hand with His goodness. God is not an evil tyrant who rules the world cruelly and harshly. Rather, we learn from Scripture that no one apart from God is truly good (Mark 10:18). Goodness is at God’s very core; it’s who He is. He is also the source of everything good (James 1:17).
God is wise
Romans 11:33 proclaims, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable His ways!” God’s knowledge is infinite and His actions are always perfectly wise.
God is faithful
2 Timothy 2:13 tells us, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot disown himself.” God’s faithfulness is so intertwined with His character that He simply cannot be unfaithful!
Live it out!
Trust is the foundation of any relationship we can build. And our relationship with God is by far the most important one we’ll ever have! When we trust God, He can use us for His glory. When we’re no longer bound by the chains of fear and self-service, we’re free to focus on serving Him wholeheartedly! Trusting God also keeps us in our place and reminds us of how dependent we truly are on Him. We’re able to hold Him with the reverence and awe that He deserves.
We will most certainly go through many trials during our time here on Earth, but the One who has called us is faithful (Hebrews 10:23). When we struggle, we can find encouragement from the words of John 14:27. It says, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” This is a promise from the mouth of Jesus for those who trust in Him!