The Upper Room devotional reflection for Saturday, April 30, 2022 comes to us from Heather Tekavec of British Columbia, Canada.
Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief. 2 Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you. 3 The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in the darkness like those long dead. 4 So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed. 5 I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done. 6 I spread out my hands to you; I thirst for you like a parched land. 7 Answer me quickly, Lord; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. 8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. 9 Rescue me from my enemies, Lord, for I hide myself in you. 10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. Psalm 143:1-10 NIV
“I Trust You Lord”
Usually when I say, “I trust you,” what I mean is: “I’m counting on you to do what I want or expect,” or, “I trust you to get this job done on time,” or, “I trust you will pay back what you owe.” Naturally, I do the same thing when I talk to God: “I trust you not to let my plane crash,” or, “I trust you will heal my friend.” A while back, someone I loved had a problem. I prayed and tried to trust God to fix it. It seemed like the right thing to do, but I got a shock one night when that quiet voice in my head said, “Trusting God doesn’t mean laying out your expectations and believing God will do what you want. It means laying down your expectations and trusting God.” This was a scary yet strangely freeing thought. After all, God knows the future and loves us. Psalm 143:8 doesn’t say, “Give me what I want because I trust you.” It says, “Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.” David was asking God to show him the way and help him to follow. He entrusted his life to God. If David could truly trust, surely I can too!
Friends –
My experience with trusting God to lead me can be challenging at times because I struggle to figure out which path is God’s direction. I find that I understand God’s path better in retrospect. I often reflect on Bishop Judith Craig’s understanding of discerning God’s path. She offered three questions to consider:
1. What path does the direction of your life’s journey lead you to?
2. What do those people to whom you are closest and whom you trust to speak truth to you tell you about your path?
3. Finally, and I believe most important, where does your JOY “Bubble Up”?
--Pastor bea
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, teach us to lay down our expectations and trust you to do what is best for us. Amen.
--Heather Tekavec
Prayer Focus:
For Trust in Hard Times
Thought for the Day:
I trust God when I lay down my expectations and follow God’s ways.