~ CHOOSING TO TRUST GOD
As a believer in Christ for almost 45 years, whenever I am confronted with any form of difficulty in my life, I literally “run” to God, mind, body and soul, because by His grace I have learned over the years that He and only He has what it takes to resolve my problems. However, it was not always like this, over the years God in His mercy grew me spiritually to choose to trust Him with my hurts and pains. For this, I give Him glory!
In times of distress, David chose to trust God, even while admitting fear. He said in Psalm 56:3-4,
When I am afraid
I put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me?
Although David was a warrior of great skill and courage, there were times when David was afraid. The above psalm happened in the occasion in David’s life as written in…
1 Samuel 21:12, “When the Philistines seized him in Gath.” The historical narrative of that incident says that “David… was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath” Despite this fear, he affirmed to God his decision to trust Him and not be afraid.
Repeatedly in the Psalms, we find this determination to trust God despite all appearances. David’s declarations:
In Psalm 23:4, “I will fear no evil,” is equivalent to: “I will trust in God in the face of evil”
In Psalm 16:8, he said, “I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.” To “set the Lord before me” is to recognize His presence and constant help, something we must choose to do.
God is always with us. He has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5, NIV).
There’s no question of His presence with us, but we must recognize His presence, setting Him always before us. We must choose whether to believe His promises of constant protection and care.
In speaking of how we may come to accept adversity in our lives, author, Margaret Clarkson wrote, “Always it is initiated by an act of will on our part; we set ourselves to believe in the overruling goodness, providence, and sovereignty of God and refuse to turn aside no matter what may come, no matter how we feel.” [151]
Jerry Bridges wrote “For many years in my own pilgrimage of seeking to trust God at all times (I’m still far from the end of that journey), I was a prisoner to my feelings. I mistakenly thought that I couldn’t trust God unless I felt like trusting Him (which I almost never did in times of adversity). Now I’m learning that trusting God is first of all a matter of the will and not dependent on my feelings. I choose to trust God, and my feelings eventually follow.”
Choosing to trust God is a matter of knowledge. We must know that He is sovereign, wise, and loving in all the ways we come to see in Scripture.
The whole idea of trusting God is based upon the knowable fact that God is absolutely trustworthy. But having been exposed to the knowledge of this truth, we must then choose whether to believe what He has revealed to us rather than follow our feelings.
Choosing to trust God in this way in times of adversity is admittedly a hard thing to do. I don’t mean to suggest that the choice is as easy as deciding whether to run to the store or even whether to do some compassionate deed.
Trusting God is a matter of faith, and faith is the fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22); only the Holy Spirit can make His Word come alive in our hearts and create faith. But we can choose to look to Him to do just that rather than be ruled by feelings of anxiety or resentment or grief.
TRUSTING GOD IS A CHOICE. Especially, when we are hurting.
(Ref: Trusting God Even when life hurts, Jerry Bridges)
NOW LET US PRAY
Sovereign God, we praise Your Holy name for giving us the opportunity to TRUST You. Thank You for helping us to develop strong faith that enable us to choose to trust You.
Father, thank You for Your promises, faithfulness, and trustworthiness. Personally, I testify that You have NEVER failed me, therefore I choose to trust You with all that I am. I love You, Lord. I pray that You would strengthen the faiths of those among us who are unable to choose to trust You, in times of distress, so they will grow spiritually.
Thank You for allowing us to go through the 10 devotionals where we learned how to trust You even when life hurts. In Jesus’ mighty name, I pray. Amen 
Have a blessed day 
