{"id":231320,"date":"2024-12-06T14:58:21","date_gmt":"2024-12-06T19:58:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/liveoriginal.com\/?p=231320"},"modified":"2024-12-06T14:58:21","modified_gmt":"2024-12-06T19:58:21","slug":"how-can-i-trust-god-when-i-dont-understand-his-ways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/liveoriginal.com\/how-can-i-trust-god-when-i-dont-understand-his-ways\/","title":{"rendered":"How Can I Trust God When I Don\u2019t Understand His Ways?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cTrust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.\u201d<\/em> (Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV)<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>I\u2019ve been studying the topic of trust lately. And what I\u2019ve realized is that I attach a great deal of my trust in God to my desire for things to turn out like I think they should.<\/p>\n

I want the goodness of God to compel Him to fix things, change minds, prevent hurt, punish the bad, and vindicate the good on my timeline. I want the goodness of God to make people who do hurtful things say they are sorry and then act better, do better, be better. I\u2019m desperate for Him to make circumstances good in the timing that seems good to me.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s not faith. It\u2019s actually a sign that because I still don\u2019t understand what he allowed to happen in my past, I\u2019m struggling to trust him with my future. So I\u2019ve started asking myself this question: Can I trust Him enough to really start surrendering the outcomes the way my life will go?<\/p>\n

Proverbs 3:5\u20136 instructs, \u201cTrust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.\u201d<\/em> I know these verses, but I want to live these verses. And in order to do that, I must acknowledge God\u2019s version of making my path straight most likely will not line up with what I expect.<\/p>\n

Ugh. Can I do that?<\/em> Can I make peace with the fact that my definition of a path being made straight is limited by my human thinking and emotion? Can I find my security in the unlimited, all knowing power of God?<\/p>\n

Friend, as we sit with all of this, I\u2019m reminded of this big, uprooted oak tree I once saw after some bad weather. It was a stately tree that appeared incredibly grounded and stable. But as I got closer to the fallen giant, I saw that when it fell, the roots were so shallow that they lifted out of the ground as well. As a crew was cutting up the tree to remove it, I saw that the tree was hollow on the inside. I just had to know: What made such a seemingly immovable tree fall?<\/em> One of the men said, \u201cShallow roots and ants.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHuh?\u201d<\/em> I replied. He explained that sometimes big trees that grow in yards with sprinkler systems get so easily satisfied by the water from the surface that the roots don\u2019t need to go deep into the ground for water. The trees can look strong and stable, but shallow roots make them less stable and way more vulnerable in storms and strong winds.<\/p>\n

Oh boy. I could feel the life lesson coming in hot.<\/p>\n\n\t\t