Trusting God

Taking the Right Test!

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O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way?  How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day?…….But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me.  I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me. Psalm 13:1-2a; 5-6 NLT

One night back in the 80’s when I was still going to college; I found myself racing against the clock to make it in time for mid-terms in my American Literature class. Between the rush hour traffic and an unexpected freight train that closed off Main street for an extra 5-6 minutes I ended up being the last one to enter the room. The tests were stacked on Mrs. Sullivan’s desk and she smiled as I snatched one off the top and hurried to my seat. As soon as I put my name on the top of the page and started the first answer I realized that I was in trouble. The question was about a poem that I had never read and the name of the author only seemed vaguely familiar. So I skipped to the second question, but things only got worse. I had no idea what school of poets this guy was from and the material on the next question was even more obscure. Then in glancing further down I recognized the name of one of the better known English poets and I relaxed. I hurried back to the front grinning from ear to ear.

Mrs. Sullivan!” I whispered excitedly. “This is the wrong exam!” She looked at the paper in my hand and then laughed, “Oh- so sorry Pete. That’s for my next class!” After finding my seat again I breathed a sigh of relief and plunged in finding that I really did know most of these answers – now that I had the right test!

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In one of my low moments recently I came to Psalm 13, and it hit me that my current discouragement was a lot like my old test and what David went through in the first verses . The problem was that we were both taking the wrong test. We had picked up the exam sheet that only God had the answers for and what we needed to do was to make our way to the front and exchange tests with our Teacher. We each have a part to play and ours begins with trust – not understanding. Then, when we begin to trust; we will discover that God begins to miraculously reveal His unfailing love.

The second stop on our spiritual exam tour is rejoicing: In fact, Jesus commanded us to rejoice in all kinds of strange circumstances, like when we are being persecuted and slandered. Hmmm so then I don’ t need to find an escape; I just need to celebrate. That’s when God comes to our rescue and sometimes that looks like what He did for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. We still go into the furnace but the fire only burns off what is tying us down.

Last of all, David shows us that singing; not griping about what is wrong is the answer we need right now. Remember how Paul and Silas started singing in the jail cell? Then God showed up and He will show up again today in ways that turn our worst tests into something better than we could ever imagine.

David found the answers that he needed when He stopped trying to take God’s test and exchanged it for his own. Maybe if tonight we learn a little better how to trust, how to rejoice and how to sing praise, we will find joy as God shows us His unfailing loving, His way of rescue and His transforming of our failure into all things for our good!

Trust the Catcher! — My Pastoral Ponderings

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As we fly through this stressful, unpredictable year, Henri Nouwen offers a wonderful metaphor and image to cling to, that we can trust the Catcher.

Trust the Catcher! — My Pastoral Ponderings

I don’t reblog many posts but this wonderful illustration and story from Pastor Lawrence so touched my heart that I felt compelled to share on Praise2worship. I have so often tried unsuccessfully to maintain control of my circumstances all the while God is calling for surrender. Jesus said that if we want to find our life we must first be willing to lose it for Him.

Learning in a Traffic Jam

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“Don’t let your hearts be troubled: You believe in God. Believe also in Me!” John 14:1 ESV

One Friday afternoon as we inched through traffic on the expressway, our car suddenly made a sound I had never heard before. The engine died, but we were rolling just enough to coast to the right shoulder before stopping. My heart was anything but untroubled and in those days before cell phones we couldn’t even call for help. I got out, began pacing and throwing my hands up in the air while shouting “I can’t believe it!”  That was when my wife quietly came alongside and said, “Honey. Why don’t we just pray? God will work this out”

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“Sure let’s pray.” I muttered, though not feeling convinced about any of God’s plans.” But soon afterward a state trooper stopped and called for a tow. In another twenty minutes a truck came and since our car was not operational we were invited to ride up front. There above the roar of the engine we got a colorful earful as the driver alternately shouted and honked the horn while forcing his way up the shoulder to the exit and I just stared out the window. But as we pulled into the parking lot of the garage I was surprised when my wife happily shouted; “Look honey! It’s the perfect place!” That was when I looked to where she was pointing and laughed for the first time all day. There at the bottom of the garage’s sign was written, “Smile! God loves you!” Two hours later our car had been fixed and the thoughtful mechanic even bought us dinner! That’s how I discovered that our loving God intervenes even when we think He’s forgotten and that He calms troubled hearts if we will believe.