"...the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God. And behold,
you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a
Son, and shall call His name Jesus....'
"Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I
do not know a man?' And the angel answered and said
to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and
the power of the Highest will overshadow you;
therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born
will be called the Son of God. ...For
with God nothing will be impossible.'
"Then Mary said, 'Behold the maidservant of the
Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.'”
(Luke 1:30-31, 34-38)
When Mary said "Yes" to God,
she faced the risk of shame, rejection, exclusion --
even death.
Normally, pregnancy before marriage was a violation
of God's moral code, but hers was not a normal
situation. Mary herself didn't know how God would give her this miracle baby
-- and then protect her and the child from the likely onslaughts. Yet, she wholeheartedly surrendered to God's will.
How could
she do that? And what can we learn from her? An Old Testament proverb gives us
a key:
"Trust in the LORD with
all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6
Leaning on our own
understanding means to rely on our own intellect,
training, and experience more than we rely on God. We
need to use those things (which are gifts from God), but our primary reliance should be on God Himself.
Trusting God, not
ourself
Our human understanding of
God's unseen ways is so limited. We only see "in a
mirror, dimly" (1 Corinthians 13:12). Well aware of our
clouded vision, God explains our predicament:
"...my thoughts are not
your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith
the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the
earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my
thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9
When things happen that we
don't understand, we can trust God's nature, character,
power, and love to lead us in His victory. The Apostle
Paul said:
"For the which cause I
also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not
ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am
persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have
committed unto him against that day. (2 Timothy
1:12)
Notice that Paul said
whom (a person) rather than what (a thing).
Paul's confidence was in God rather than in his own
understanding.
Leaning on our own
understanding is comparable to walking with a cane and
putting most of our weight on it. If the cane lands on
uneven ground (such as a rocky place) or at an awkward
angle (as it could in a hole or in a crack between some
rocks), then we can stumble. If it lands on unstable
ground (such as stones that move or a slippery surface),
then we can fall.
The cane doesn't know which
way is safe and which way is dangerous. It just goes
where we put it. And it can only provide stability to
the degree that we have chosen solid footing for it.
The word "acknowledge" in
Proverbs 3:6 involves the kind of understanding that
comes from personal relationship in addition to
diligently paying attention to (and comprehending)
instruction. When we have a close personal relationship
with the Lord and pay close attention to what He tells
us and shows us, then He will direct our paths.
God
stores the Scriptures we have read in our hearts and
minds as in a treasury. Then, as we face each day,
His Holy Spirit quickens His Word to us which
becomes
"a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path"
(Psalm 119:105).
Learning to
Trust
How can be develop the
child-like faith of trusting in the Lord with all of our
heart instead of leaning on our own understanding? There
are some practical things that we can do to help
strengthen our trust in God.
When you know a good person
intimately—when you really know their heart—then you
have more trust in them. So how do we get to know God
better? By reading the Bible (and asking God to help us
understand it). The Bible shows us God's character and
His ways. We can also get to know God better by spending
time in prayer and worship. The Bible says:
"Be anxious for nothing,
but in everything by prayer and supplication, with
thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to
God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, will guard your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-
Notice that the peace comes
when we give things to God in prayer. It does not wait
for how He answers our prayers. It does not depend on
the outcome. The peace comes when we put the situation
into God's hands. The Bible says that we should cast all
our cares (concerns) on God because he loves and takes
care of us (1 Peter 5:7).
"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand
of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting
all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."
( Peter 5:6-7)
Note from Maria: Most of
this article is excerpted from the chapter "Trusting
God" of my book "Strength for Tough Times"
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