Read
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” Isaiah 26:3-4 (ESV)
Reflect
When I worked as a youth ministry volunteer we would occasionally go on team building trips together. Time for the staff to get away, to dig into the Word, plan for the upcoming year and get to know one another. And there was usually some sort of trust exercise involved.
I hated those trips.
Not because I don’t like planning, or because I didn’t want to spend a day with other youth workers, but because so many of the trust exercises made me face my fears. Trusting that someone would catch me. Trusting that whatever I was supposed to hang from would be strong enough. Trusting that I wouldn’t look like a fool if I failed. So many of my own weaknesses and fears came up that I often found reasons to avoid participating. I wasn’t comfortable trusting anyone or anything else to keep me steady – so I chose to sit out.
As I’ve spent time in the Word recently and asked God to reveal His character to me, I’m learning that my trust issues haven’t only been limited to those around me. I’ve struggled to trust a Father God because of my experiences with an earthly father. But God tells us in Isaiah that He is an “everlasting rock” – immovable, trustworthy, solid, a firm foundation. He will never fail.
And when we trust in Him? When we keep our minds focused on God, we experience peace. When I try to put my trust in people and things of this world, I feel anxious and experience disappointment – but God keeps us in “perfect peace.” As I’ve learned to lean into Jesus and trust Him, as I’ve put my focus on God, I’ve been learning how to trust others – not expecting them to be perfect, not expecting them to always be steady and immovable, but trusting – with grace.
Respond
Father, as we interact with one another, keep us in perfect peace, our minds focused on You – our everlasting rock. Heal us of any trust issues we may have and bring others into our lives who can build us up with grace and love.
