The One We Can Trust

              As Christians we need to remember that the One we can trust is always our good God.  He alone cares for us.  He alone provides for us in a worn and weary land.  Why is it so hard for us to stay in touch with this truth we all know?

              We live a world that is distant from the very presence of God.  When God created the world, He created it in a way that His presence would be a daily highlight of our lives.  In Genesis 1-2 we understand how not only was the world perfectly suited to give Adam and Eve everything they needed physically in the garden God planted but it also gave them everything they needed to have purpose and meaning.  The meaning of life increased as they cultivated the garden and enjoyed the pleasures of the world. They had everything they needed in a perfect relationship where their differences made them perfectly suited for each other.  Neither was blaming the other for not seeing the world as they did; rather their differences created their oneness and increased their satisfaction in experiencing God’s goodness in the presence of one another.  They lived in perfect relationship with God; they were even able to see Him face to face. 

              Sin separating us from God has had a devastating effect.  We no longer have everything we need physically.  There are millions of people in this world who do not have access to clean water and enough food to maintain health.  So many are without jobs and have lost focus on finding meaning in life.  Many feel despair rather than meaning.  Relationships fall victim to the pressures of living in a fallen world.  Oneness in marriage is difficult to experience as differences mount and lead to ways to numb oneself from the pain of life.  Ultimately, we lose sight of the One who gave us life and purpose and relationship. 

              Focusing on the goodness of God is hard to do when we feel troubled.  Isn’t it true that He has the power to make all of our troubles go away?  We only want Him involved if His help will make our pain stop, and we reject His response of walking with us through our pain.  Many give up on God, blaming Him for the harsh circumstances in their world.  Others don’t even think there is a God and reject Him from having any influence on their thoughts, emotions or decisions.  Regardless of our thoughts about God, the fact remains that He alone is the One we can trust!

              It’s a difficult journey discovering that God alone is the one we can trust, but once you arrive at this place, everything changes.  Paul wrote about it to Timothy: And the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 1:14). Overflowing faith and love that are in Christ Jesus restore the presence of God in our lives.  We are capable of connecting to the union with God that Adam and Eve once enjoyed. 

              Iris Pearce learned from her cancer patients the degrees of discovering the connection I am talking about.  She writes that first we must believe that God is, then we believe that God is good, next that God cares.  After establishing these basics to our relationship with God, we move to the belief that God redeems, yet we accept that He redeems in His time and He redeems in His way.  We move deeper in our faith when we discover that God redeems in the way that is best for us that God redeems in the way that is best for others and that He redeems in the way that is best for God. 

              When you finally know that God alone is the One to trust, a whole new world opens up to you.

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