Trusting in God | Luke Lezon
I went in to college as a Kinesiology major at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, I came out of college with a degree in Communication and Creative Studies from Texas A&M. There are over 500 miles between Fayetteville, Arkansas and College Station, Texas. The distance between where I first enrolled to pursue my degree and where I finally ended up earning my degree, pales in comparison to the distance between who I was when I first stepped onto a college campus as a student, and who I was when I took my last step off of a college campus as a student. Of course I was the same in many ways, but I was also so different.
If over those four-and-a-half years of college I had received a dollar for every time I asked Jesus, "Why am I here? What are you doing? Why is this happening? Are you sure?" I would have been able to pay off all of my loans and retire before ever taking a job. Whether you're going into, are in, or are fresh out of college, trusting in God has to become a part of who you are, not just what you do. It has to be developed within you and become synonymous with your character. Trust believes that God is going to take you from where you are to where you need to be.
I've truthfully never been great at accepting a situation for what it is, trusting that God is working behind the scenes, and having faith that He will work things together for my good and His glory. The other week I ordered a package but I didn't receive it for a week. The day it arrived, I got an email that told me it had moved from in-transit, to out for delivery. If college taught me one thing, it's this - there are things God is working on that you cannot see and that you cannot understand, and that's ok. It doesn't mean they aren't happening. It just means they're in-transit.
Stepping into all that God has for you will require stepping out of a lot of what you’ve planned for yourself. What would make you think that keeping stride with God would be easy? I had no intentions of going to Texas A&M, it was never on my radar, but that transition changed the course of my life. It’s going to be difficult at times. Of course you’re going to have to wade through through murky waters, but that’s part of trusting in Him. If you walk the path of comfort you will fall short of what God has called you to. Plans are necessary, goals are great, but if God isn’t doing the orchestrating, you’ll hate what you hear.
When God calls you to step, no matter how terrifying that step is, take it in trust. Don’t take it because you’re afraid of what will happen if you don’t, take it because you can confidently step knowing that God’s direction is infinitely better than your desires. God is a loving Father, you can ask questions along the way. You can even kick, scream, and let Him know that you're frustrated. There are no feelings you feel that God isn’t aware of, talk to Him about it. Your feelings towards Him don't change His feelings towards you. Fathers don’t hate their kids when they throw a tantrum, they hear them, but it doesn’t change the fact that they’re going to do what’s best for their child. Trust that.
Don’t step only if things look the way you want them to, step even if things scare you to death, because you know that if God has called you to it, then it will be worth it. God sees the whole puzzle while we're working with a few pieces. Trust, step, repeat.
Psalm 62 became my lifeline in college. I'm not sure how you are, but I can't internalize things. I have to talk through them. I love the language in this Psalm.
Verse 8 says, "Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us." You can trust in God at all times. How confident can you be in that? You can pour out your heart to Him. Every joy and fear can be laid before Him, because He is our refuge. He is a safe haven of trust.
Verses 11-12, say, "Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God, and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love." Trust has to be rooted in the unshakable character of who God is, not what our emotions are. Who is God? Our refuge, a safe haven of trust Whom we can pour our heart to at all times. Power is His, and so is steadfast love. I don't think there is a more comforting feeling than knowing that God is all-powerful and all-loving.
After Jesus was been crucified on Good Friday, there was Holy Saturday. It was dark, Jesus was dead, hope seemed lost, but God's silence doesn't mean God is absent. Joy came in the morning. He was at work. He's the Master Director. We only need to give Him ourselves, a pretty bad cast. And yet, He still delivers an incredible film, because it has nothing to do with how bad we are, it has everything to do with how great He is. Don't waste your time trying to get a behind-the-scenes sneak peek, as long as you're collaborating with Him, He will deliver a masterpiece.
He laid down His life for you, have faith that He has laid down the right tracks for your life. Trust!
Your friend,
- Luke
This post originally appeared on Luke Lezon's blog and was republished with permission.
