Day 98: Trust and Obey

 Reading: Psalm 42: 6b-11

There is a great amount of turmoil in this reading. The writer feels very let down, discouraged and forgotten. But in the midst of his frustrations, he keeps remembering that God is his rock on which he can stand. Though he feels like life is completely against him, he knows that God's unfailing love is still there, and he must make a choice to trust and obey. 

You know well by now that life will feel much like how this writer describes it at times. As if you can't handle the outflow of frustrations and turmoil coming at you. But also like this writer, we need to remember where we go for a solid footing. Remember what He has done and the love He has given you before. Then in the midst of the chaos, put your trust in Him and obey His direction. You will find yourself in a better place eventually and a stronger person. 

Reading: Luke 12:1-34

Trusting and obeying God are hard to do when we're busy worrying. Worries and anxieties take our focus off of Him and onto ourselves and our feelings. Jesus gives us numerous reasons why we are not to worry and to put our trust in Him. 

We are to fear only God. There is so much we could lose, but there is something we can never lose, and that is our souls for God. He is the only one Who can take that away, and when we put our fear and awe in Him, we have nothing else to worry about. 

We are valuable. Jesus explains over and over about how much He values us. In fact, He compares us to the birds, stating that if He even takes care of them, how much more will He take care of us. God places such high value on us, and when we fail to trust in Him to take care of us, we have a hard time building that relationship with Him.

The Holy Spirit is with us. When we face those hard times, not knowing how to deal with a situation or opposition, we are promised to have the Holy Spirit to guide us. He will give us words to say when we need them, and He will give us direction when the time is right. 

When we worry, we fail to see the whole point of life. Jesus displays this point with a story about a man who stocked up his crop for years ahead, so he could kick back and not work. But Jesus says this is missing the point. We can't plan for ourselves in the future because God is the one who plans it, not us. Being wrapped up in yourself fails to put yourself in God's arms. When we plan ahead, God can turn our plans upside down. We need to live day to day, one day at a time, trusting Him and relying on His direction as it comes. 

Our focus can't be on what we have. Fussing about our clothes and the things we have also fails to see the point of trusting in God fully. When we worry about these things, they become our focus and even our mission. It becomes a battle to get the next big thing instead of focusing on what God wants us to do. These things aren't bad, but they can be poisonous when they become everything we're about. 

Worry is the opposite of trust and obedience. I think this speaks for itself.

Always seek His Kingdom above all else. Seek that first, and everything else will come with it. Don't place your trust in things of this world. Trust and obey God by putting your focus on Him and casting your worries on Him.

Reading: Deuteronomy 9:1-10:22

Moses reflects back on the times the people did not trust and obey to reiterate how important it is. As the people get ready to cross into the Promised Land, he recalls the times things went wrong along their journey, and how trusting and obeying were the underlying issues of their struggles. God keeps their egos in check by reminding them that they are not acquiring this land because they are "good" people, and the reminders of how they made the golden calf and failed to trust Him throughout their journey display that.

We are reminded in this reading that no matter how blessed we feel and how much God is handing over great things to us, that we are never, ever to look away and fail to trust and obey Him. These two things go hand and hand, and will keep us in check with God. 

Trusting and obeying are two big elements to the Christian faith. When we fail to trust God in the midst of hardship, we may turn to other things that will only make it worse. When we fail to trust and worry about our lives and what's to come, we focus on ourselves and our plans instead of trusting and wanting to obey God's. When we continually fail to trust and obey Him, even when He's proven Himself in our journey before, we will see the struggles we face because of that lack. Trust and obey. When we do these things and apply them to life, we follow a path of faith that has a solid foundation.