I recently had the opportunity to speak at a retreat. The theme for the weekend was “Walking with God.” As I pondered how to narrow down such a broad subject, I finally settled on a scripture that has upheld me during many uncertain seasons in my life: Proverbs 3:5-6. You’ve probably heard it many times.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.
When I considered that verse, it seemed like a perfect step-by-step blueprint for walking with the Lord.
- Trust God with all your heart.
- Don’t lean on your own understanding.
- Submit to the Lord. He is Sovereign. His ways are not our ways.
- The result of steps 1-3? He will make your paths straight–maybe not easy, but straight!
The message seemed to resonate with the retreat attendees. It hit a “nerve” as I spoke about how to walk with God in a “CPR” world. (A devotional I had read on YouVersion Bible App described the current world status as “CPR” with reference to C= COVID, P= politics, and R= racism. All three of these have generated much tension and anxiety in our culture).
However, what I didn’t realize when I organized my talk, was this message was really for me! I found out shortly after the retreat presentation that I’m going to need open-heart surgery! Whaaat?? As many of you may know, Randy had open-heart surgery last March to repair an aortic aneurysm. My problem is different and not as urgent as Randy’s, but apparently, it still requires surgery. And a much-needed review of the lessons learned while we walked through Randy’s surgery and recovery.
Remember!
So…I’m back to the school of learning to trust the Lord with all my heart–in even deeper ways than I’ve known before. Trust is a verb. It’s active, not passive. Being confident, sure, secure, bold. Intentional in my relationship with Him. Trust is about remembering…
Remember who God is:
When we rehearse God’s attributes, we remember why He is trustworthy. He is good, faithful, merciful, omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient ( knows all things), the Alpha and Omega, the One who never changes. Also, our provider (Jehovah Jireh), our healer (Jehovah Rophe), and the One sees us, El Roi. He is El Shaddai, Almighty God. We could make a very long list of who God is and why He is trustworthy.
Remember what God has done:
The Israelites left markers/signposts in strategic places where they had seen God work in miraculous ways. They wanted to remember, to never forget God’s faithfulness.
We should do the same. Maybe we don’t actually build stone monuments, but we remember how God meets us right where we are–especially in the difficult, seemingly impossible times.
Remember whose you are:
You are a child of God. He sees you and knows exactly what’s going on in your life. I was reminded of this just a few days ago while I waited for a COVID test. I needed those results prior to having a heart catheterization. My phone rang and it was the cardiologist’s office. The nurse told me not to get the COVID test. What? My procedure had been canceled because encouraging MRI test results caused the doctor to rethink my treatment plan. What?? Heart surgery is no longer on the table! Whaaat?? I kept asking the nurse to repeat what she had just said.
I’m still processing this unexpected and amazing change of direction. I’ll have lots of questions when I see the doctor for a follow-up appointment in a few weeks. But, the lesson of trusting God with all my heart is still very much front and center as we begin a new year. Trusting God doesn’t mean your circumstances will change, but it does mean that you and I will be equipped for whatever the Lord’s plans for us entail.
I’d love to hear how you’re learning to trust the Lord with all your heart–and to pray with you! Check out my calendar if you’d like to chat.
https://calendly.com/debkalmbach/30min
