Learning to Trust Part 1

“I will seek You in morning
And I will learn to walk in Your ways
And step by step You’ll lead me
And I will follow You all of my days”

I sat on the porch in the cool of the morning with Rich Mullin’s song playing in my mind. The words so fully expressed my heart’s desire to seek God in the morning so that I could learn to walk in His ways. That sense of deep security knowing I could have a bold confidence that the God I was seeking would lead me step by step throughout my day.

I opened my devotional and read, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not in your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). Yes, I thought, this is how I want to live. However, what I  learned that day while sitting on my front porch and watching the sunrise was that trusting God was a whole lot more than simply reading a Bible verse. Trusting God takes place when you’re put in situations where you are not in control. It is discomfort rather than comfort that teaches me the deep security and bold confidence that God is in control.

Later that same day my husband took me to the Atlanta airport. I was going to be speaking in Florida that evening. I am not a seasoned traveler, and the Atlanta airport scares me to death. All the way there I kept telling my husband how much I appreciated him taking his morning to drive me to the airport and figuring out what time I needed to get there. However, just as I was approaching the door to get out of the car, I realized that we had gotten the time confused. I was walking into the airport at the same time my plane had begun boarding!!

My mouth was filled with the metallic taste of panic. The doors opened to a huge room full of people hurrying in all directions; loud, garbled voices on the intercom and signs pointing in everywhere. I stood there overwhelmed and scared, totally uncertain of what I was supposed to do. That is when I heard again the voice I had heard in the morning. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”

My prayer in response was simply, “God! I don’t know how to trust You!” Then I heard Him say, “Trust is something that you learn. You don’t learn how to trust me from places of comfort when you are in control. You learn to trust me when I lead you into circumstances where you are not in control. Don’t be afraid what is hidden from you because it is not hidden from Me. I will teach you to trust Me. I will lead you step by step.”

The beginning...