Trusting God with Everything

‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’ — Jeremiah 29:11

It doesn’t take long to realize there is no checkbox formula for life. If only it were that easy! We are all complex. Our situations and experiences are unique. The challenges we face often seem overwhelming.

There is good news, though. When we listen carefully and lean in to God, we will hear His whisper. That is what Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would do (John 14:16–17; 26).

For me, I keep coming back to the thought that

if you can’t trust God with everything, you can’t trust Him with anything.

Our faith is not a pastime, an opinion, a vending machine. It is not our politics. Our faith is not a philosophy, a way of looking at the world, or even how we try to explain it. It is much more personal than this. Our faith is life itself, and it is through the activation of our faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ that we have gained access to the everlasting grace (unmerited favor) of God. This has brought us into an eternal and loving personal relationship with God that was previously impossible. 

This was made possible by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. In this relationship, we are forgiven; our identity is secured; our purpose is established; our fears and anxieties are overwhelmed by His power and peace; His inexhaustible love bears our sorrow and sustains us. That is the experience I can testify to.

On so many occasions, I have come back to God’s promise in Jeremiah 29:11. At the end of the day, we have to decide whether we believe this is true, or not. If we believe it, we can claim the future and hope that God has promised us. And if we believe, then we are called to act on that faith, to believe in miracles, to love, to forgive, to repent, to surrender, to obey, to serve, to worship, and to follow.

• The life of such faith is not easy, but take heart, because God understands that we struggle with this journey.

Jesus demonstrated this to us in the gracious way that He dealt with His disciples. He loved them. He chose them. He knew their flaws and weaknesses, but He also knew their heart for Him and their faith. He knew they would fail. He even assured them they would, telling Peter he would deny Him three times. He was patient with them. He built them up, restored them when they were down, and admonished and consoled them when He needed to. He understood their humanity, just like He understands ours.

In my public life, I have often felt like an alien in the place where I believed God has called me to serve. I think this alien experience is increasingly how many Christians feel about living in our Western society today. 

Our world increasingly acts as if it has outgrown God. We have become wise in our own eyes. We pretend to have knowledge and insight that, somehow, we think has eluded the eternal God. Arrogance and pride have taken the place of humility and reverence before God. The eternal and immutable standards of God are now being substituted for what we believe is right in our own eyes (Judges 21:25). The truth is now as we each seek to define it. How convenient for us.

In such a world Christians will increasingly face trials, discrimination, mocking, and persecution, as Jesus said we would (John 16:33). In such a world we are right to feel like aliens if we are truly holding to our faith. How much more important, then, that we hold to our faith in these times?

About a year after an election loss ended my tenure as Australia’s prime minister, a friend gave me a painting of Daniel praying in the lions’ den. He told me that this is what he thought it must have felt like when I was PM. He was right. As Christians in a society that is increasingly hostile to our faith, the lesson of Daniel is a good one to follow. Rather than react as the world reacts, Daniel trusted in God’s eternal plan. He stood and served where God had placed him, as an alien. The good news is that God’s got this. Daniel understood this. God’s purposes are greater than those we currently see impacting our society.

The message and instruction from our God has not changed. We are to wait on the Lord and live out our faith in His love. God has already won the victory. As it says in Scripture, we are to love God with all our heart, our soul, and our minds, and we are to love one another (Matthew 22:37–40). That is our calling.

Whatever our times or our experiences, we will see the goodness of God’s plans in our lives if we choose to seek Him, if we choose to trust Him, and if we choose to love and follow Him. When we do this, we can look back on the many stones that have been laid down across our lives, signifying His great blessing and faithfulness, and rejoice. These stones do not just remind us to give thanks. These stones lead us onward, confirming God’s plans for our good and that the best is always yet to come.

Dear God, thank you for the promise that You are faithful to provide us with a hope and a future, that Your plans are for our good, and that we can trust You in both the triumphs and trials we face. Amen.

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Written for Devotionals Daily by Scott Morrison, author of Plans for Your Good.

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Your Turn 

Do you believe that? Do you believe that no matter what is going on right now in your life that God’s plans are for your good and you can trust Him? Come share your thoughts with us. We want to hear from you! ~ Devotionals Daily