The fear of the LORD leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.
Proverbs 19:23 (NIV)
There were 2,000 people crammed into the auditorium, but I was oblivious to anything except the performance on stage. Souled Out, performed by Victory Church’s youth drama team, was a captivating performance. Of course, I was a little biased. I had two children in the production.
Through various skits, the message persuaded others to be “souled out” and completely trust God. I was proud of the youth and marveled at their devotion and concentrated focus that seemed so unusual for their age. They worked relentlessly over the last several months to convey a timely message of God’s faithfulness in the midst of difficulties. When the altar call was given, many went forward to receive salvation or rededicate their lives.
Afterward, my husband and I hosted a party for the cast at our house. It was a delight to see the kids enjoying themselves. After they left, and I the cleanup was finished, I plopped down into my leather wingback chair. Even though it was late, I spent about half an hour in the wee hours of the morning reflecting on the events of the evening. Finally at about 2:00 A.M., I decided I better get to sleep. As I laid my head on my pillow, I heard God gently say, “Trust me.” Somehow, I knew that this was not a soothing reminder of comfort, but rather a warning of impending danger. But I was too tired to be alarmed and soon drifted off to sleep.
Webster’s Dictionary defines trust as a firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing. We wouldn’t need to trust if we never faced challenges beyond our control.
And God had appropriately forewarned me.
About three hours later, my daughter randomly woke up when she thought she heard someone in the kitchen getting a drink of water. As she wandered down the hall, she discovered a shocking surprise and came screaming into our bedroom, “Mom, Dad, the house is flooded!”
The cause: A broken pipe.
The cure: Trust Me.
I wish I had a picture of us sweeping water out of the house! But the cool thing is, amid the chaos, I was amazingly calm. I was untouched by trouble.
We may not be able to control our circumstances, but we can control our responses. Whenever things look messy, remember—you can be untouched by trouble if you determine to trust God. And there might just be a blessing around the corner…I got new floors!
Prayer: Lord, when situations appear out of control, help me to remember that you are in charge. I pray that when life’s circumstances appear frightful that I will resolve to rest content, focus on You, and remain untouched by trouble.
Posted on
Tue, March 3, 2009
by Christy Johnson
filed under