Trust me...

One of my colleagues was sharing with me the text for the year he had been led to choose for the church where he ministers. It is Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

I have found myself reflecting on that text a number of times during the past couple of weeks. I suddenly realized how demanding the text is; it demands that I trust God. Without my trust in Him - complete, unfaltering trust, I cannot expect to have hope, joy or peace. Is it any wonder that so often in my life (and probably in yours) that my joy is lost and I find that my peace has gone too. How can they be restored?

This scripture leaves no compromise. It’s quite straightforward and clear: trust God! But for what I ask? Simply for everything! The perfect example of course is our Lord Jesus Himself. Every day, at all times of the day, Jesus prayed, consulted His Father for instruction, for encouragement, for guidance, so that He was always in His Father’s will.

The apostle Paul also shares with us in his letters the many times God instructed him not to travel to a certain place, or to leave a certain place, or to allow himself to be caught up in some situation. Yes, Paul trusted God. As we see Paul trusting, so we see the gospel being shared in many new places and many new converts being made, and very often in the most unlikely places - like in the depths of a prison.

As I reflect on the life of Jesus and of Paul, I see how they, in trusting God, experienced peace in their lives, yes and joy too in knowing that the Father’s will was being done. There was for them the satisfaction of oneness with the Father.

So the question I must ask myself is can I, and do I, truly trust God? And what sort of life will it be if I don’t? What I can be certain of is a life of peace in Him, overflowing with hope and joy as long as I trust in Him who has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you”