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God, what does it look like for me to trust you today?
Amen.
That is the prayer I offer to God almost every morning.
I’m trusting God FOR his answer.
I’m also trusting God WITH his answer.
Two little words — two BIG different realities.
And those realities are often beyond my human imaginings.
Philippians 3 talks about the SURPASSING WORTH of knowing Jesus. (verse 8).
The fruit of knowing Jesus invites me to experience the fruit of the Spirit, those qualities described in Galatians 5:22 and 23. Each of those qualities can be defined in big, surpassing terms. Truly, the fruit of the Spirit surpasses my human understanding. I’m learning that God’s answers to my daily prayer offer big surprises. My prayer life is challenged!
LOVE – Ephesians 3:19 says that God’s love SURPASSES knowledge. So the only way I can know if I’m trusting his love is if I experience it. That leads me to a new request, God please let me be aware of your love. What in my experience is showing me your love today?
JOY – Gabriel announcing the gospel in the familiar scripture, Luke 2:10, calls it GREAT joy. Almost daily I pray for 10 different friends who are battling cancer. Can I trust that God’s answer is providing great joy for them and me in trusting him with his will.
PEACE – “And the peace of God, which SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7. Again that word “surpassing”. Trusting God with his answers is trusting that in my humanity I’m not going to get it.
KINDNESS – Titus 3:4 & 5 shed light on God’s kindness. It is LOVING kindness and it is a result of his mercy. Mercy, God has no obligation to offer it. He shares his loving kindness because he is sharing his character. When I pray, God what would it look like to trust you today, I am humbled. He is answering because of loving kindness motivated by his mercy.
PATIENCE – Paul speaks of God’s patience displayed in Jesus as PERFECT patience. I Timothy 1:16. As I type, I’m sitting on an airplane soaring home to Colorado. I should have prayed this morning to trust God with patience as I connected with different air travel realities. My patience was far from perfect.
GOODNESS – Zechariah 9:17 also calls God’s goodness GREAT, “For how great is his goodness…” I often struggle with understanding God’s goodness. Is it good that two of my friend’s children are struggling with Epilepsy? It sure doesn’t seem so. But as I pray for Luke and Anna, I’m asking God to show his great goodness.
FAITHFULNESS – Psalm 91:4 describes God’s faithfulness as a SHIELD. A shield offers protection. In praying to trust God FOR his answers and WITH his answers, I’m praying for his faithful protection. I need to be reminded.
GENTLENESS – Jesus describes himself GENTLE. “I am gentle”, Matthew 11:29. The root of Jesus’s gentleness is his inherited nature. In being gentle, he is being himself. And his gentleness leads to rest. Trusting leads to rest.
SELF-CONTROL – Throughout the gospels, Jesus demonstrates self-control. Or possibly another way to say it is, he is trusting God’s control. Matthew 4 is the best example. Jesus is in the wilderness. Satan is testing; Jesus is trusting. His trust led to angels ministering to him. He rested in God’s truth.
Trust is resting in God’s character which always surpasses my human comprehension.
“Let us then with confidence
draw near to the throne of grace,
that we may receive mercy
and find grace to help, in time of need.”
Hebrews 4:16
My prayer life is changing. What about yours?
Copyright: Sue Tell, January 2024
Thank you for sharing that as you pray for others in difficult situations, you ask God “to show his great goodness.” I’m going to borrow that!
Hi Beth,
My prayer life is being challenged as I think according to these terms. And in my humanity, I’m probably not going to get it. But I don’t want my limited understanding to be the focus of my trust.
So thankful for your friendship.
Sue
Thank you, Sue. Our Bible study recently focused on being confident in our faith – and to me, that confidence is found by trusting God’s mercy. His plan is always perfect, though our patience in waiting for it to be revealed and understanding of its perfection often is lacking. I love your voice, the calm in a stormy world.
“Confident in our faith” … I like that definition. And I like even more your understanding of where that confidence is found. I’m with you dear friend.
Thanks for commenting and your ministry of wisdom.
Sue, I love how you match all these fruits of the spirit with verses. My prayer life needs to change! I need to spend more time listening to God; I need to be more consistent; I need to be more focused! God bless you, Sue, as God uses you and the gifts He has given you. So glad Bill is ok!
Oh Sandy, you are so human!! Like me.
I need to grow too. God speaks to me through all my writing! I write for me AND I write for you. We’re in this together.
The scripture I pray for Echoes Colossians 1:25, ” … stewardship… given to ME for YOU to make the World of God fully known.”
Sue, I’ve never looked at these verses this way. I’ve always looked at them as what characteristics does God want to develop in ME . In reality they reflect GOD’S character. What wonderful verses to read and pray when I need to remember His love and care .
Hi Diane, Thanks for commenting!
You know, we really need each other. As I mentioned in the blog, they are expanding my prayer life … and might I say, I’m enjoying praying more as well.
FMA, sue