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March 18, 2024

A Heart of Trust

March 18, 2024 by CARISSA JOY STRUM TRUST Reliance Worshiping God Purpose Seeing & not seeing fruit Trust Abide
A Heart of Trust
  • by CARISSA JOY STRUM
  • Comment
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for… All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”
Hebrews 11:1-2, 13-16

Do you ever feel like all of your conversations end up coming back to the same topic, so just maaaaybe that’s a topic God wants you to dwell on? That's what it’s felt like for me lately with the call to trust God. It feels like every sermon, conversation, devotional, and song I’m around all somehow relate to trusting God. It can sound so simple when I read about trusting Him in His Word, but when I actually take the steps to trust Him in the minutiae of my daily life, it becomes hard and vulnerable. Lately I’ve been noticing how important trust is in the everyday moments God allows our ways.  



  • Having a hard time controlling what I say? I don’t trust that God will truly take care of the needs around me so I try to take care of everything myself. 


  • Feeling fear of missing out on friendships and opportunities? I don’t trust that God will truly take care of me, as a loving Father tends to His own children (see Psalm 23 and Romans 8:14-17) 


  • Frustrated with my husband’s decisions or struggling to submit to his leadership? I need to trust that God has designed marriage in the way that is best and will best glorify Him. 


  • Feeling less-than pretty/smart/fill-in-the-blank compared to those around me? I need to trust that God has fashioned me in His image and with a purpose for His glory and plan (see Psalm 139:14, Romans 8) 



Our struggles and fears often reveal a lack of trust in God and lack of focus on His glory. When we truly seek the Father’s glory, we are freed from relying on ourselves and trusting in ourselves but are instead fully focused on Him. 


I love how today’s passage states that the individuals specifically recognized in God’s Word for their faith did not see the results they were working toward. In today’s day and age, they might seem like failures for a lack of the fruit they were expecting to see in their ministries. However, God was creating His will and weaving His purpose and intent into each faithful moment of their lives. They were wholeheartedly devoted to God, and their unabashed trust produced steadfast faith, regardless of the fruit they saw or didn’t see. They loved God more than they loved what they were waiting for, and sought God’s purposes with a trust for His understanding even when it didn’t make sense to them.  


Today, let’s take courage from our fellow believers in the faith and allow our “longing for a better country” to turn our eyes and hearts toward the Creator as we seek His glory and purpose. 

Closing Prayer
Sovereign Creator and Abba, We praise You! You are trustworthy, faithful, steadfast, and true. You are the same God who worked Your purpose in the lives of faithful believers hundreds of years ago, and You seek to work in our lives today. We praise You, Lord! We are grateful for Your forgiveness over the times we have fallen short of seeking You and trusting You. We take a deep breath and turn our hearts to You, Lord. We praise You for welcoming us to come to Your throne, and seek Your mercy and grace to help us trust You (Heb. 4:16). Amen.
Resources
Podcast: Ruth Week 1 with Kristi McLelland by She Reads Truth I absolutely love the book of Ruth, and I love how beautifully the hosts of She Reads Truth discuss the first half of this book in this podcast episode. Ruth’s trust in God changes the course of her entire life, and places her in the lineage of Christ! Talk about God doing “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Eph. 3:20)!
Song: On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand sung by Magen Thurman There are so many incredible worship songs about trust (I would also recommend Shane and Shane’s Psalms albums and “Behold: The Story” by The Worship Initiative) that it was nearly impossible to pick just one, but I wanted to remind us of this beautiful and timely hymn. We truly can trust God as our refuge and strength (see Psalm 18). Let these words wash over you and spill into your day as you trust God in the big moments and in the tiny ones, too. He is with you and for you, working for His purpose and your glory, in each and every one.
Question for Reflection

How can you trust God in one small, tangible way this week? By focusing on God instead of the result, we can foster trust as we abide in Him.

Comments
Carissa Joy Strum
March 18, 2024

I can trust God by letting my mind focus on Him instead of my to-do list, and trusting that He truly is greater than my heart and knows all things (1 John 3:20). Instead of feeling like I have to always be confessing or always be working out the details of my day, I can trust that He is God and that He has already forgiven me and accomplished the work of salvation. I can rest in Him and allow His Spirit to work His will through me (see 1 John 3:24b)!