Step Out

Trust.  What does it really look like? God has been dealing with me in regards to this issue and in regard to service this week. 

True and absolute trust casts out all worries and fear. It inspires confidence because you know what ever you have put your trust in is not going to let you down. It requires surrender because you have to be willing to give control over to the one you're trusting. With this in mind, do we truly trust God and his plan or do we have symptoms of mistrust in our lives? Worry, doubt, fear, insecurity... It is so commonly stated "I'm trusting God to (you fill in the blank)" and yet we worry, panic, doubt, etc. in regard to the area we say we're trusting him with. If these symptoms exist, just making that statement is hypocritical (unless you're saying it to convince yourself of it rather than to declare it). Trust and doubt cannot dwell together because they contradict each-other. God asks us to trust him, but it is not until we truly do that he can do amazing things through us. 

Let's revert to that familiar "potter and the clay" analogy for a sec. The potter has a specific intricate plan to make the clay something amazing. However, if the clay refuses to be totally moldable, the potter will not be able to make it into what he has planned for it. The lump of clay has all the potential in the world to be beautiful, but potential means nothing with out willingness and action. The clay has to be completely surrendered to the potter, limp in his hands in order to be made beautiful. The clay has to trust the potter or it will always remain a purposeless plain lump of clay. 

He has a divinely amazing plan that involves us and waits to be unveiled until we trust in him. He says "I have something amazing to share with you, but you are unable to see it until you trust me because your doubt and control issues make you blind. Throw those down at my feet, trust me and let me open your eyes and show you something incredible. I'm waiting. 

This brings me to my second issue I've been searching out...service. Trust and service go hand in hand when you're serving to the degree that God calls us to. God doesn't call us to comfortable service, he calls us to sacrificial service. Sometimes what he asks us to do doesn't make sense to us, or doesn't seem humanly possible. That is why service requires trust. When we are 100% sure that God has called us to do something, we have to just step out and do it. He promises to take care of us and we can trust that. 

As humans, we all struggle with control issues (Well, I sure do!) We have good intentions and want to serve God, but when he calls us to something we try to wait and get a back up plan together to prepare for the act of service. Here is the thing about God and serving him...THE MOMENT HE CALLS US IS THE MOMENT HE WANTS US TO RESPOND. He has perfect timing and he reveals his will to us when he deems it time. When he tells us, He is ready for it to be done, other wise he would have waited. He only reveals to us what we need to know at that time. He may have a big plan in store for you but he may choose to reveal it to you in bits and pieces because He doesn't want you to try to get ahead of him. This is when trust and service collide and create something beautiful. We trust that He is sovereign and has an incredible plan that we are a part of, and we serve him whole heartedly as he reveals his will to us and takes care of us. Then we begin to see the big picture...the amazing, beautiful, intricate "why didn't I get the hang of this before" picture that will blow you away. Just step out. Trust and serve..and be amazed.