Will God Let Me Down?
Poppy is still away in India. Please enjoy this blog post she originally posted in 2013!
“How can I trust God? My own father was….” Tears filled Jennie’s eyes as she recounted a life of abuse. Listening, I felt the Lord urging me to share a Scripture with her. “I sense your soul longs for rest,” I responded gently.“Let me tell you what Jesus says: ‘Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest’” (Matt. 11:28).Jennie desperately needs rest for her soul—but she is chained to fear. The fear that God will let her down. That He doesn’t really love her enough to help her through the days ahead.Do you sometimes share her fears?If we believe that trusting God means nothing unpleasant will happen to us, we don’t know our Bibles very well. God does allow us to be touched by the tragedies of life. So what does trusting God really mean?It means that when these hard things come, we can trust Him. Trust Him to be compassionate, to give us His comfort, His courage, His peace, His strength, His wisdom, to fill us deeper than we can fathom.
How can you and I cultivate a heart that trusts God?
- Work to transform any automatic negative view of God 2 Cor. 1:3. He is the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.
- Meditate on Scriptural truths about God (Read the Psalms and Isaiah 40-50) 2 Cor. 12:9. My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.
- Turn what you learn into prayers. Make them sources of praise Ps. 86:5. You are forgiving and good, O Lord. Great is your love towards me.
- Re-groove your mind with faith statements and refuse to repeat fear statements. John 14:1. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.
I’m praying that my friend will come to trust the God who loves us so much that He sent His Son to die in our place. This is also my prayer for any of you who are struggling with dark and fearful thoughts.
Q. When you’re fearful, how has God been your comfort and hope?
Blessings,
Poppy Smith
International speaker, multi-published author, Bible teacher, and spiritual coach
Inspiring Women to Thrive! Permission to use this article is granted provided the following credit is fully included.
Poppy Smith is funny, warm, and passionate about helping women grow spiritually and personally so they experience the love and power of Christ in life’s ups and downs. A former teaching leader with Bible Study Fellowship, Poppy has a Masters in Spiritual Formation and ministers extensively as a retreat and conference speaker both in the US and around the world. For more information about Poppy’s heart, her books and ministry, please visit her website at www.poppysmith.com.