Trust

Posted On January 30, 2003

Listen to this, O Job; stand still and consider the wondrous works of God. Do you know when God dispatches them, and causes the light of His cloud to shine? Do you know how the clouds are balanced, those wondrous works of Him who is perfect in knowledge? Why are your garments hot, when He quiets the earth by the south wind? With Him, have you spread out the skies, strong as a cast metal mirror? – Job 37:14-18.

What would you do if life threw you for a loop, and when you landed you were just barely hanging on with your fingers? Life, literally did just that to Joe R. Thompson III (18 years old) in Kansas City. Thompson lost control of his Jeep after another car turned suddenly right in front of him. His vehicle may have rolled over five times, before the top was ripped off, and Joe was thrown out. Joe was not wearing a seatbelt. Actually Joe was thrown up in the air, because before he came down, he grabbed hold of overhead utility lines about 25 feet in the air. He had to hold on for dear life for 20 minutes, before a rescue was made bringing him down by a ladder. Thompson suffered no serious injuries, and said later, “God was definitely in control.”

The fact is that most of the time we do not know what to do when life throws us for a loop and our fingers are barely hanging on. But there is One who does know what to do. That One is the Creator of the world who makes the winds blow and be still. He makes the sun to shine and the rains to come. We do not understand, how He has made all that He has made, or how He is able to make everything continue to function. We do not understand, how God could be God. But then, He wouldn’t be God if we could do all that He does, and know all that He knows.

We must come to a point of trust in God. Joe Thompson apparently came to a point of trust while he was dangling in the air for 20 minutes. Sometimes that is what it takes for us to come to a point of trust in God. Job went through the loss of his family and wealth, but in spite of that, he would not curse God. Job did not fully understand, but he finally understood that God was indeed God. Through the loss and pain, he came to a greater understanding and degree of trust in God.

I’ve been reading Lisa Beamer’s book “Let’s Roll.” I’ve cried as I read through much of the book because I know what happened on 9/11. But I see how Lisa has such a deep trust in the goodness of God in spite of the tragedy that will overshadow the remainder of her life. She speaks of her father dying when she was a teenager, and of how she asked, and settled many spiritual questions at that time. It helped to prepare her for 9/11 and for the aftermath of the attack. Because of Lisa’s trust, she has been a most powerful spokesperson for God during this horrendous time.

So, the next time life throws you for a loop and you’re barely hanging on – trust. Trust that God is still God.

(When everything goes wrong, and you are just hanging on by your fingertips – remember that God is still God.)