"those who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true"

(from my prior blog)

from the moment that i wake up to the moment i pillow my head, i am constantly exercising levels of trust. i trust that my alarm clock will go off at the set time. i trust the electricity will work when i turn the lights on and plug in my blow dryer. i trust that neither my coffee nor my cereal have been poisoned. i trust that when i use my phone, my wireless service will work, and when i check the weather, i trust that it will be fairly accurate so that i may dress appropriately. i could go on with my entire day in which nearly every moment i place my trust in mankind and the things it has fabricated; however, that would be entirely too exhaustive, so i digress...

my point is, we - often without question - place blind trust in things and in faulty human beings, but when it comes to trusting God in heaven, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, we tend to not as willingly place our trust in His design.

of this, i am sure. no man or woman who has ever wholly trusted the Lord - that means in every facet of his life - has ever regretted doing so. the Word of God is filled with promises ensuring those that trust Him will see His guidance and blessings.

Proverbs 3:5-6 ~ Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.

Psalm 33:21 ~ For our heart shall rejoice in Him because we have trusted in His holy name.

Isaiah 26:4 ~ Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength:

Nahum 1:7 ~ The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him.

Psalm 37:5 ~ Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.

there are many more verses i could have included, but that would make for a lengthy post. i do want to also say that just because you live a life completely trusting in Him does not mean you will live a life free of pain or hurt. i think life would not really be life if we didn't endure some heartache; you can be more grateful in the "good" times because you have endured the hard times. but trusting in Him, however, does guarantee strength and grace to get through those tough times.

not only is the Bible filled with hundreds of verses about the promises given to those who trust Him, but it is also filled with human examples. you can read the whole life story of Job - a man who had everything one day and nothing the next. he lost his financial resources, his family, his health, even his friends; and yet you can read Job 23:10 where he says, "But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold."and do you know what happens in the end of the story? i'll tell you what the Bible says, "...also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before... So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning..." wow! and then of course you can read the entire "hall of faith" in Hebrews 11... there is just so much, i don't see how we could not trust Him.

so read His Word, see His promises, and then prove God in your own life!

francis r. havergal wrote this incredible hymn on trusting God:

1. 
   
   Like A River Glorious
   
   
   Like a river glorious is God’s perfect peace,
   Over all victorious, in its bright increase;
   Perfect, yet it floweth fuller every day,
   Perfect, yet it groweth deeper all the way.
   • Refrain:
     Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest
     Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.
2. Hidden in the hollow of His blessed hand,
   Never foe can follow, never traitor stand;
   Not a surge of worry, not a shade of care,
   Not a blast of hurry touch the spirit there.
3. Every joy or trial falleth from above,
   Traced upon our dial by the Sun of Love;
   We may trust Him fully all for us to do;
   They who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true.
   
   
   
   

1. 
   

wait.

i like waiting. usually. i don’t know if it’s because i enjoy being left alone to let my mind wander, or i like people-watching, or maybe because i have an iphone to keep me forever entertained... whatever the case, i rarely find myself getting impatient. 

this day was no different, i sat at a nearby table and resorted to simply letting my mind wander... my rambling thoughts didn’t last long when they were suddenly interrupted by a woman who was only a few people behind me. she was shouting at the girl behind the restaurant counter. “i just want my food now... i don’t care if it’s fresh or not!”

i was rather surprised considering i would take fresh food over lamp-heated food any day. “are you kidding?!” i thought, “it’s fresh - the best - and only a short wait! who knows how long that food has been sitting there... 

why aren’t you willing to wait?... i would wait for just about anything, if there was something better coming...

suddenly, i was no longer thinking of food. 

in this society, we are bombarded with instant everything. instant dinners. instant coffee. instant pudding. instant relief. instant cash. and probably hundreds of other things you want and can have in an instant. in fact, it has completely permeated our way of thinking... so much so, that our lives are ridiculously fast-paced and waiting often only frustrates us. 

even when it’s waiting on God...

i am so willing to wait for food, but all too often i have not been as willing to wait on His guidance, something significantly more impacting! a decision that could potentially change the entire direction of my life... and i’m not willing to wait? that doesn’t even make sense. 

looking back on some of the most pivotal decisions of my life, i can recall being frustrated that God wasn’t giving me clear direction immediately. so i would take action, all of which were good, but i was wrong in expecting that my action would motivate his timing. i would read God’s Word, searching for an immediate answer. i would seek counsel, expecting someone to tell me exactly what to do. i would review sermons, listen to good music, or read good books hoping the direct will of God would reveal itself to me. and after doing all of that, and still not knowing, i would write, because i write when i don’t know what to do. in doing that, i was inadvertently doing exactly what i was supposed to be doing - waiting.

“Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” ~ Psalm 27:14

the word “wait” that is used in this verse is found in the Word of God 27 times. this waiting is a trust, a patient reliance that God will direct in His perfect time. and with almost every one of these “waits” comes an expectation or a promise.

“...those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth... Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee...” ~ Psalm 37:9,34

“... what wait I for? my hope is in thee.” ~ Psalm 39:7

“...we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord, we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” ~ Isaiah 25:9

“The Lord is good unto them that wait for him...” ~ Lamentations 3:25

waiting patiently doesn’t mean you will know the result immediately. this waiting is knowing that God has your best interest in mind, therefore you will wait until the end. because you trust Him. no person has ever put their whole trust in God and regretted it in the end. throughout the Bible, throughout history you can read of men and women who trusted God, waited, and found that perfect peace in doing so, whether His will was revealed or not. one of my favorite songs that describes such peace is “Like a River Glorious.” the last two lines always bring a smile to my face, because i have seen the results of trusting Him completely. the lines say, “we may trust Him fully all for us to do; they who trust Him wholly, find Him wholly true.”

that same perfect peace can be yours too. complete reliance in your Heavenly Father, knowing He loves you more than any one. so trust Him. wait on Him. who knows what He will do while you wait. all to often, we are so busy looking for the end of a thing, whether it be a trial or a “chapter” of life, that we miss out on all the wonderful things that come along the way. 

so, wait and enjoy waiting.