It’s hard to trust in the Lord, especially when life thwarts our personal plans. But this is what we must do if we want to be saved.
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Any lifeguard will tell you that nothing is more dangerous than rescuing people who are desperately trying to save themselves. In the struggle to stay afloat and catch a breath of air, they often put their own rescue at risk. This is exactly what we also tend to do in our spiritual lives. Instead of letting the Lord save us, we try doing things our way and make His work more difficult.
Like a drowning man clinging to life, we all cling to the hope of finding happiness. It’s a basic impulse that God has given us. But do we actually trust Him enough to know what is good for us?
Trusting in the Lord is neither cowardice nor laziness
God respects us too much to provide us with instant gratification. He has given us freedom to multiply our talents and join Him in the creation of the Heavenly Kingdom. But it doesn’t mean we should claim that we don’t need help and take our tendency to rely on ourselves for freedom. If we refuse to trust in the Lord, we are assuming that we are very strong and competent when in fact it isn’t so.
However there also exists the danger of embracing evil disguised as good — a lazy person justifying his idleness by his supposed trust in Providence, or a coward taking refuge in prayer to avoid facing real challenges. But placing our trust in the Lord is neither cowardice nor laziness.
Trust in the Lord is not reserved to saints
There is only one way to find God and serve Him. It consists of embracing our daily life in all its aspects. And of course, praising the Lord is the only prayer for those who have placed all their trust in Him. But to test the sincerity of these praises, they must be conformed to reality. Do they actually impact the way we deal with our work, family, financial troubles or plan our future?
“Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3).
If we cannot become as little children and place our trust in the Lord, if we don’t consent to put everything that matters to us into Our Father’s hands, we won’t enter His Kingdom or taste the joy and happiness that has been promised to us.
Christine Ponsard
