“But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’” Psalm 31:14
God is accessible and personal to those who call on His name by faith. He is not an aloof Almighty, but an engaging One. God governs the universe, and He takes time for those who come to Him. Trust in Him is a ticket to a personal relationship with Providence. Trust is a bridge of belief that spans the canyon of Christlessness. It is when we trust Him that we are positioned to know Him. Relationship without trust is incapable of intimacy and the feeling of closeness. This is why we place our faith in Him and not in our faith. Our faith is undependable, but our God is ever dependable. We stay steadfast in our faith in God even in the face of suffering, temptation, and dire circumstances. He is still our God who can be trusted in our times of trouble. Our hope in God is so strong that we do not cease to call upon His name in our sorrow. When we know Him we trust Him.
Adversity and challenges, great or small, compete with our trust in God. When it seems as though our brand of Christianity is not working, we are tempted to give up. We want to re-brand God to fit our shallow beliefs. Because He is personal, we expect Him to bend toward our immature behavior. Actually, giving up can be good if it is giving up on our own solutions. But we cannot give up on God. Christians will let us down, but Jesus never will. Christ’s care is personal and persevering. He is not going anywhere. Our anger may cause us to retreat from the tender touch of our Lord, but He patiently waits for us to come back to our senses and back to Him. Do not project your dysfunctions on your personal relationship with Jesus. Instead, ask Him to make you a reflection of His grace, mercy, forgiveness, peace, and holiness. Get personal with your God. You can laugh with the Lord and cry with Christ. You take on the attributes of those with whom you are personal.
He is “our God” in the sense that He owns us. We do not own the Almighty. Our actions sometimes dictate to God. We make decisions and then ask Him to bless our mess. Or we don’t make decisions and we ask Him to bless our irresponsibility. Either way, we sometimes try to manage our Master. This is not healthy. It doesn’t work. Our role is not to change God and others so our lives will be better. Our role is to surrender to our Savior Jesus, asking Him to change us. We are in a personal relationship with Christ because we need to reflect His ownership of our lives. He is “our God” in the same way that a person is our mayor, governor, or president. We are under their authority. We submit to the laws of the land for the sake of the whole. We submit to God because He is our ultimate authority. Our rights are relegated to what God says is right.
Therefore, avoid mistrust and embrace trust in the Lord. Doubt leads to death and trust leads to life. God is personal and trustworthy. Our personal prayers are directly to Him. When you do not know what to pray, ask Him to align your heart with His. Then your desires become His desires. This is the best outcome of our personal prayers. Intimacy with the Almighty leads to alignment with the Almighty. God gives us easy access so we can understand and apply His principles. He is personal for His purposes. So do not shun seeking out your Savior. He can be trusted. He is your God for His glory.
The author of Wisdom Hunters daily devotional is Boyd Bailey. For more information, visit: Wisdomhunters.com
