"But those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing." ~Psalm 34:10b
The daddy comes into his daughter's room to read a bedtime story like all the nights before. They make it through their night time ritual and with loving eyes the daddy looks at his little girl. "Honey, do you love me?" The little girl looks at him with all the wonder that comes from loving a strong, dependable man of integrity. "You know I love you Daddy!" The daddy points to the pearl necklace around her neck and says, "then may I please have your necklace?" The girl panics and says, "Oh no Daddy not my necklace." This is her most prized possession she bought from the dollar store after working hard to save her pennies. "You can take that horse over there! You know my favorite one! Have it Daddy!" Daddy kisses her cheek and says, "That's ok sweetie. Go to sleep. Daddy loves you." The next night Daddy comes in from a long day at work and reads a story. After the story he asks, "Darling, do you love me?" "Of course I love you Daddy!" "Then hand me your pearl necklace." The little girls eyes go wide, "Oh no Daddy! Not my necklace! You can have Suzie! The baby doll I play with every day! Take it Daddy!" Daddy smiles and says, "That's ok Baby. Daddy loves you." He kisses her goodnight. This continues for several nights. Each night the daddy asking for her pearl necklace and each time she offers another valuable item instead of the one she treasures most. One night the daddy comes in to find his little girl sitting on her bed with tears rolling down her cheeks. "What's wrong Honey?" She opens her hand and holds out her pearl necklace. "Here Daddy. It's yours." As she holds out the necklace to him, the daddy reaches into his pocket and pulls out a real pearl necklace he had picked up from the jewelry store. He places it on the little girl's neck and said, "Daddy loves you."
As a young girl, I remember my daddy sharing this illustration in his sermons as he would relate this story to how God is waiting for us to trust Him with every detail of our lives for 'He delights in every detail!' "Wait a minute," you may say. You don't know what I have been through?! The pain and heartache I have felt for so long. Why should I trust someone I can't even see?! That's crazy! The Bible implies it's crazy not to. "But those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing." You take a leap of faith and put your trust in Him and you have everything you could ever need! To lack nothing is to have everything!
For just about all of my life I have had struggles with trust and when I say struggles I mean I had hardly zero trust at all. There have been situations and instances in my life that shattered my faith in trust, but each time I step out seeking to trust Him I am amazed at all He accomplished through that tiny mustard seed. Tiny meaning you need a microscope to even see it! Last Sunday, I was running late for church. My sister and I stopped at Starbucks and I happened to make eye contact with a lady that I had never seen before. The instant I saw her I knew she needed a word of encouragement but I was scared to approach her. She and her husband sat down and as I was passing by I said, "Okay Lord. Your will not mine." I looked at her and said, "This may seem odd but do you have anything I can pray for?" She replied, "Honey, I got a whole list you can just go ahead and sit down." At that Starbucks, God brought me to church! One small step, One Big God!
What happens when the coin is flipped and I don't trust Him? What if I know He won't be there to catch me when I jump? How will you know if you don't ever jump to begin with! I had a friend who looked me dead in the eye and said, "just jump." My human nature told me you have jumped and look where it got you?! But it was a lie! I had never fully jumped because I would get close to the edge see the looming darkness before me and shrink back in fear. The fear of my life has been I will end up alone and be an old maid for all of my days! I laugh at that now because I am married to Jesus and have been since seven but never understood what that meant, but it's not funny the sin and torment it brought into my life through lack of trust. I have learned before a woman can enter a marriage covenant with a man she must first understand her marriage to Christ. In learning this, I no longer desire marriage in the way I use to to fulfill my own needs! I have everything I need in my marriage to Christ and I mean everything! You may be thinking "What?! Jesus can't give you everything. You don't go to bed with Him every night." Oh but I do! But not in the perverted ways the world has twisted sexuality. You ask Him to fulfill you in all the ways He was meant to and He will!
Think of Eve in the Garden of Eden. That woman had everything her little heart could desire! She was secure in God's love and her husband's! She was fed spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically. She didn't need clothes because she had no shame and lived in God's presence every day! She had every reason to trust Him until that sneaky snake convinced her otherwise. Satan does not come up with new tricks. If he can get us to believe God is holding out on us then our trust will be weakened and that vicious deceiver will pounce. That lack of trust in God brought down all of humanity!
Trust is a precious tool in a relationship and one that has been used against God's people with a damaging ferocity. God has a treasure for those who can jump. He will catch you, take away the old, cheap junk and hand you life abundantly!!! Who wouldn't want that kind of life? So long life of fear and doubt! Hello to peace, mercy, love, blessings, all things good and righteous! "The Lord leads us on the best pathway for our life." He knows what is best for us and is just waiting for us to realize it and to JUMP!
It is not something that will happen overnight but in gradual procession just like any human relationship. He takes the days as they come one by one and a little at a time the more you trust Him the more you will realize He treasures your trust and will never fail you! I have trusted Him with the major pains in my life and He has taken them and used them for good not harm! Try it. One small step at a time and see how different your life becomes!
"So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to God who created you, for He will never fail you." ~1 Peter 5:19 (NLT)
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