Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today- December 16, 2010
“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O King that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Daniel 3:17-18
Radical trust in God means you trust Him even when it seems He may not come through. You are not pregnant, but you still trust God. You do not have a job, but you still trust God. You have been betrayed, but you still trust God. You are sick, but you still trust God. You are lonely, but you still trust God. You are afraid, but you still trust God.
Your wise decision-making is based on God’s trustworthiness. You know He is able, but it may not be His timing. So, do not compromise your convictions, but trust in Him. It may not seem fair or right, but God has a bigger picture in mind. Do not be held captive by your finite knowledge and understanding of your circumstances. You can still trust the One with infinite wisdom and understanding. You are not alone in your current fire of difficulty or adversity.
The Lord is with you. Your faith has been bolstered and is not extinguished because you know God is walking with you. Your faith is fire proofed by the Holy Spirit. The flames of hell are no match for fire from heaven. Your Savior defeats Satan in every encounter. But even when you are denied acceptance and physical comfort you can still trust God.
Trust in God is not just for the good times, though a radical trust may be required even during prosperous times. But radical trust is greatly needed when things heat up and you lose something precious or you are refused something you may deserve. This is the time to ratchet up your radical trust. It is for times like this that God has molded your faith.
What if God has not come through? Radical trust means you stay focused on His past faithfulness. The mundane in our everyday life is a link in the chain between life’s transitions. Today’s link is important to tomorrow’s transition. We should hope for the transition to come, but trust God with today because we cannot handle more than today’s troubles or triumphs. Therefore, do not worry about matters out in the future that you have no control over.
You must trust God with today without worrying about the uncertainty of tomorrow. This is radical trust in Christ. If you obsess over fear of the future you most certainly will define the ambiguity with negative consequences. Then, unwittingly, you create a self-fulfilling prophecy and worry yourself sick and maybe others too. Or, you become of no use for today because you are too worried about tomorrow. You get stuck in the inertia of distrust.
But, the Lord can be trusted. Meditate on His faithfulness instead of what might happen. Unleash the radical trust that resides within you. When you were younger radical faith marked you as a follower of Christ. Reignite that passion for Jesus. Lay aside the sins of disbelief and worry. The cross of Christ and his resurrection are radical. Trust God even if He has not or does not come through as planned. He is still trustworthy, so be radical in your trust!
Do I radically trust the Lord with past events and decisions? How trustworthy is He for tomorrow?
Related Readings: Psalm 28:7; Isaiah 12:2; John 8:26; Romans 15:13
