Trust and Obey

Sometimes, it can be difficult to trust someone with something that I wish I had control over.  Even if it's someone who is worthy of my trust, it is still hard to accept that I will be without power in the situation. Unfortunately, although God is worthy of my trust (as a mere human) in every aspect and every situation, I often don't give it to Him.  I doubt Him, whether deliberately or not. Ultimately, I am challenging His authority (Isaiah 55:9) and questioning His faithfulness (Deuteronomy 32:4). 


Also, it can be difficult to submit to someone else's control over me.  Obedience can be a hard thing to do, because I don't like to admit that I am subordinate to someone else, therefore acknowledging that they are in a higher position than I.  Again, this is often our attitude toward God, although He is completely worthy of our obeying and honoring Him in His omniscience and omnipotence. 


However, if I stop to think about it, trusting and obeying actually do go hand-in-hand.  Obedience with trust-- It's action in waiting.


I can't truly do one without the other.  God has called us to action (Philippians 2:12-13), to obedience, not to just sit around pray that His work would be done. We  are the ones He uses to accomplish His work!
On the other hand, we can't just go out and do whatever we think needs to be done, either.  We are to prayerfully seek out the Lord's will first, and then to do what He has called us (2 Timothy 1:9) to do, trusting that He will go before us (Deuteronomy 1:30) and give us His power (2 Corinthians 12:9) to accomplish His plan.


If we are consistently and sincerely seeking God's will and obeying what He has revealed to us, how is it that we cannot trust Him with what is yet to be revealed?  If we can trust Him with the unknown, how can we do anything but obey what we know He wants us to do?



I fail to really  trust that God knows what's good for me, and since I don't trust, I don't want to obey.  


I don't obey what I already  know God wants me to do, I don't see that following His laws is good, and I don't trust Him reveal more of what He wants for me.


Even when it may not make sense, I need to trust God with the step that I am taking in faith-- trusting that it truly is His leading that I am acting on.  Micah 6:6-8 talks about offering sacrifices to the Lord.  The author asks if he should bring burnt offerings, calves, thousands of rams, or ten thousand rivers of oil.  All of these things would make sense from human perspective in that time, because they would be a sacrifice of things of value. It would all even out, humanly speaking!  Transgressions would be paid for.  But what does the author determine will satisfy the Lord?  Offering his life-- walking humbly before God.  Humility is shown by trust and obedience -- submission.


So, I trust my God with what's behind the sharp turn I'm walking toward, and I continue to sacrifice myself, doing my best where I am  on the path.  Focusing on what I do see, I take the next step.  It is then that I don't stumble.

GE (College Freshman)