Trusting God When You Can Do Nothing More
When I was 18 years old I had to go and collect my A level results and found that I didn’t have the grades I needed to get into university. I didn’t know what to do next but I do remember that although I was in shock, I was also excited – because God obviously had a plan and it was going to be an adventure finding out what it was!
I had worried a lot about what would happen, but then God had shown me this verse:
‘All things work together for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.’ Romans 8:28
I knew that while I had some control over my exam results I needed to do my best – by revising as hard as I could. But once the circumstances were out of my hands I just needed to trust that God would work it out for my good whatever happened.
God punished King David for his adultery and murder by taking away his first child. It was interesting that while there was a chance of changing things by repentance, prayer and fasting he did that with all his heart. But once the child died, to everyone’s amazement he put normal clothes on and got up and ate.
‘But when David saw that his servants whispered, he perceived that the child was dead. So he said to them, Is the child dead? And they said, He is. Then David arose from the floor, washed, anointed himself, changed his apparel, and went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he came to his own house, and when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate.’ (NKJV) 2 Samuel 12v19,20
To me that shows his faith in God. He knew that once God had taken his child it was now out of his control, so he trusted in God’s plan and got back to normal life.
This reminds me of when Job had so many bad things happen to him:
‘Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips. ‘(ESV) Job 2:9-10
We can learn from David and Job to accept both the good and the bad as from the Lord, and try to trust that He knows what is best even when we don’t understand.
There’s a great song called ‘Sovereign’ which reminds us that God is sovereign in everything and how we need to trust Him:
Chris Tomlin – Sovereign: http://youtu.be/QdpznGSH4-o
