Trusting God Even If

This topic is one that the Lord has put heavy on my heart: Trusting ain’t easy! It can be easier to say, “That’s just our luck,” and have this lackluster or “pity me” attitude about what is happening in your life. Even worse, blindly trusting that only good things will happen in your life and you will reap from the rewards that you have not earned. Trust is something that is earned and requires to be worked on continuously. As Christians, often times our prayers can be for immediate healing or for landing a new job offer that will financially benefit your family and then some. That if we rub this lamp, God will grant our wishes and our heart’s desires! In that skewed view of Godly trust, we have this misunderstanding that we trust God to only do the things that would benefit us, solve all of our problems, or what we want to happen for others according to our plan. If God answered our prayers according to our will’s, could you imagine what the world would be like?

We should trust the Lord not for an outcome, but regardless of an outcome.

When we truly put our trust in God, we are praying in faith that He is powerful and strong enough to answer our prayers according to His will regardless of the outcome. We need to trust that even if He doesn’t do that or even brings a good thing to an end, His plans are greater and He has a greater purpose for us. Isaiah 55:9 says that His ways and thoughts are higher than our own. We can’t comprehend His ways and thoughts. God can do anything. Proverbs 3:5 says when we lean away from our own understanding and lean into God’s word, we are leaning away from a worldly perspective and leaning into a spiritual perspective, thus building trust. He is going to use that justification to sanctify you and grow you in His-likeness. He will use it to grow you in your faith and in your walk with the Lord. Romans 8:28 says not that all things will be good, but all things will work together for good. This is not an earthly good, it’s a spiritual good. Yes, sometimes there are worldly, good things that happen, but His plans and outcomes are always focused on spiritual good. He is greater. His thoughts and plans are higher. God must become higher and we must become lesser (John 3:30 NLT).

One thing I’ve learned (and it’s a hot one) is that the closer you are to God, the more you seek God, and the more you live like God, the more that the enemy and the world will attack. If you feel like you’ve won, then you have more than likely blindly accepted worldly desires, fleshly desires, sin, and the devil into your life. Put on the armor of God and fill yourself with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 6:10-12 NLT).

What do you do when God doesn’t answer your prayers according to your plans? See my blog post about ‘God’s Planned Delays” about seeking God in seasons of waiting.

Be a light + stay salty!

Talk soon!

Other Bible verses to soak in:

Isaiah 55:9 (NLT) says, “For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts.”

Romans 8:28 (NLT) says, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT) says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.”

Ephesians 6:10-12 (NLT) says, “A final word: be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”

John 3:30 (NLT) says, “He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.”

Songs to praise Him in:

“Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)” by Hillsong UNITED

thesaltyhavenblog 2/16/24 thesaltyhavenblog 2/16/24

God’s Planned Delays

Deferred. Held up. On the shelf. Staved off. Pushed back. Expecting. Hopeful. Suspenseful. Sitting tight. PREPARING.

What are you praying for? What are you saving for? What are you expecting? What’s holding you up? Are you delaying, or is God?

Peach-picking at The Southern Peach Company April 2023

Waiting, while you’re trusting God when it seems like He is not answering, is hard. Waiting, while seeing others around you receiving what your heart longs for, is hard. Waiting, while you’re ill or hurt and seeing others being healed, is hard. It feels like you’re playing Tug of War between yourself and God, thinking you know what’s best and showing obedience towards God’s will. It’s easy to be frustrated and resentful. It’s easy to compare your seasons to other’s seasons. You may be telling God that you are ready and feel like He may be delaying you. In your season of delay, God is preparing you for what you’ve been praying for. Those weak parts of your faith will be tested. You may be in the trenches, battered and hopeless, that’s when the enemy will come for you in these weak moments to tell you:

He isn’t good.

He isn’t listening.

He isn’t working.

He isn’t trustworthy.

He isn’t faithful.

He doesn’t love you.

But YOU must choose:

Choose to live in Him because He lives in us.

Choose to persevere and endure because He is building your character, firm foundation, and faith.

Choose to love because He IS love.

Choose to keep praying fervently because He is listening and working.

Choose peace because He fights our battles with us.

Choose patience because it is the utmost humbling surrender to the One who promises to keep no good thing from you when you fully trust in Him.

Choose to cling to hope because if not today, and if not tomorrow, eventually, God is going to show up and bless you.

In Matthew 7:7-8 Jesus says, “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Our pastor, Corey Abney, once said, “God’s delay often precedes our deliverance. God’s love is not always obvious in His actions or His inactions. You don’t know what hangs in the balance of your obedience to King Jesus. What seems like a small, average, or unusual thing today, might produce the fruit in your life that changes the trajectory of it and/or your family.” I have actually had these quotes written on cardstock and taped above my vanity since last year. God did not say in our deliverance that there will not be hard and sorrowful times in our lives, but to ask and seek Him all the time, every time. In John 16:33 NLT Jesus says, “I have told you all this so that you have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” He will wither away the storms. He will calm the seas. He will mend and use the broken. He will bring light to the world. He will guide and protect you. He will bring purpose to this season.

Pray for strength to surrender your anxieties and worries to God. Ask God to replace them with His peace, to fill your heart with trust in His care and planned delay. Pray that your faith only grows stronger. Thank God for walking you through these hard and long seasons. I encourage you to share one verse from this blog post with someone who has been on your heart. Pray for them through their season of planned delay and that they will find peace through trusting in Him.

Be a light + stay salty!

Talk soon!

Other Bible verses to soak in:

Luke 1:45 NLT says, “You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”

Habakkuk 2:3 says, “This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. it will not be delayed.”

Romans 8:32 says, “Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything?”

2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”

Songs to praise Him in:

“What Are We Waiting For?” by King & Country

“Jireh” by Elevation Worship & Maverick City