So what's the REAL ISSUE here? TRUST!!! The difference when you picked your child up and dusted him off and told him he was "good to go" was that HE BELIEVED YOU! What a precious gift that is...believing. Children are programmed instinctively to "believe". They just start over with totally refreshed minds and reengage life from a perspective of hope. So what does that mean for us? Psalm 9:10 says "Those who know your name will trust in You, for You Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you." Can you remember being a child and learning your parents first names, and explaining to your friends that not only does your mom and dad have another name, but your mom even had a different name before she married your dad? Expounding on this knowledge made you feel like you really "knew" something special about your parents. I remember thinking about the Irish origins of my mother's maiden name, Doherty, and feeling connected to something larger than myself. Somehow, increasing your knowledge of them made them even more trustworthy and safe. I think that's what the Psalmist is implying. As we seek to know and experience more of God, we will grow to trust Him more. God's very nature is eternal, unchanging, faithful... it makes sense to trust Him with our future.
From another perspective, why do we care so much about our children? Because 1) they belong to us, 2) we helped bring them into this world, and 3) we have a stake in their future success. We have a deep connection to them. It's the same with God's attitude toward us. Psalm 100 says "It is He who made us, and we are His, the sheep of his pasture." He is there for us, watching and attentive. He picks us up when we fall down; He finds us when we get lost. He's always very near; we have only to reach out for Him. Exodus 33:14 says "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
During one of my devotionals this week, I came across the thought that "no matter how steep or treacherous the path before you, the safest place to be is by His side." I admit that it's a hard thought to accept, but in my heart I know it's true. No one cares for us like Jesus. I believe His words when he said in John 10:10 "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." Who among us doesn't want abundant life? I hope we can recapture the essence of becoming like a child and making a point of running to our heavenly Father and giving Him the opportunity to hold us in His loving arms, gently brush us off, and set us firmly back on our feet again. May we be richly blessed as we put our trust and hope in the Lord for 2011!
Jeremiah chapter 17, verses 7-8 says:
"But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit."
