A few days ago I took a drive up north. It was a lot of time in the car. And I’m still kind of sore in my heart, so endless hours in the car isn’t necessarily the best for me, especially when the lies of the enemy are buzzing around in my car like a stray bug.
Finally, I’d had enough. I needed to GET OUT OF MY HEAD. I decided to listen to a sermon from New Heights that I hadn’t yet heard. You can listen to the words I heard here; scroll down to All Because of God: You Must Make A Decision. The whole idea of what Pastor Matt shared – the whole point of it is the question that Jesus is constantly asking us, though it’s disguised in various responses. At the heart of it, Jesus is constantly asking us:
It was pretty quick to be like “yeah, duh.” and then I started thinking about this post I’d written the day I moved to California almost 5 years ago, where I realized that trusting kind of requires some kind of action. Like Peter in the boat. He could have trusted WHOLE HEARTEDLY that if Jesus called him onto the water, Jesus would take care of him from there. But there’s something about the whole trusting Jesus thing that required Peter to actually step out of the boat and into the water. There’s trusting and then there’s TRUSTING, all caps.
I am quick to lowercase trust, to be like “yes, Jesus… I trust that you love me and care for me and never seek to harm me.”
and then Jesus is like “yeah but do you TRUST me? Step out of the boat.” and usually I’m like “no, I’m good.. you know my heart, you know I trust, so come on in the boat and let’s talk about it.”
and I think Jesus just stands there on the water inviting – urging – me to step out of lowercase trusting and into full-on uppercase TRUSTING. To put my feet outside of the boat and down onto the fluid water and trust that HE is the solid source for my footing.
That’s some scary stuff, to look out of the boat into the water and instead of seeing through the water, to see the hands of Christ right below the surface, holding us up. But you know what? Perfect love – love that Christ offers us – casts out all fear and scary stuff. I don’t have to be held back by it.
I work with kids, and sometimes they do weird things like run and jump on me without me knowing they’re going to do it. and I have a pretty high rate of success in catching them. Mostly because I don’t want them to fall or get hurt. In that moment of wild abandon, those kids TRUST me. They don’t think to say “STEPHANIE!!! I NEED YOU TO CATCH ME!!!” they just run and jump and somewhere in their little hearts they know that I’m going to keep them from falling.
I have a high rate of success.
Jesus has a perfect success rate.
He’s at 100%.
If you run at him..
If you leap towards him..
If you GET OUT OF THE BOAT..
If you uppercase TRUST HIM..
Jesus will catch you.
Amen.
Linking up with Word Filled Wednesdays, A Little R&R, So Much At Home, Coffee and Conversation, Thought Provoking Thursday, Shine Blog Hop , Grace at Home, Fellowship Friday, Grace and Truth,Â
Love this whole post… & all it does is have visions of Jesus in my head like Aladdin on the carpet when he says that to Jasmine – do you trust me? 🙂
oh rebecca.
i LOVE that image of aladdin and jasmine.
i miiiiiight teach this to the kids at my church and use that as a little sermon illustration. SO TRUE. <3
Stephanie, these words are golden. Seriously, I am always in need of reading a post that reminds me of God’s faithfulness, His love for us, and that I can TRUST him completely. I am so happy you can to this realization and that you shared it, and that you shared it with us. As I get closer to moving states I start to get more anxious about all that will come with that move. I won’t know anyone (aside from T’s family) and that is SERIOUSLY scary to me. But God will guide me and catch me if I fall, and I know it’ll all work out. God bless you sweet girl.
ps. love this song you shared!
how quickly we forget, right?! that’s why God gave manna to the israelites every day – they forgot his goodness overnight. and even then, they ended up forgetting anyway. we need so many reminders.
God’s already in your new home, he’s already preparing the hearts of your soon-to-be friends, and all you have to do is walk into it <3 praying for you.
&& i'm so glad you liked the song… it's my current fave!
Stephanie I read this a couple days ago, but wanted to make sure I came back to respond again. Your comment REALLY touched my heart. What you said about God preparing their hearts has replayed in my mind over and over and has really brought me some peace. That is so true, and what an amazing God to be doing that just for me. Thanks again!
i’m glad God gave you some peace 🙂 God is paving the way ahead of you so walk forward bravely!! <3
I love how you said Jesus has a perfect success rate, haha. That’s an awesome way to think about it!
thanks, anna! my pastor once said something about how you’re not going to be the first person in the history of ever that God drops. and i was like… um…. yeah so true, why would i be so arrogant as to think he can handle everyone else but not ME?
Thank you do this post it is very timely I’m struggling with some fear issues and its always great and encouraging to b reminded to TRUST God n know that you’re not alone in the struggle so thank you
you are SO WELCOME! i’m glad these words found you at just the right time. be brave! do not fear! God is bigger than whatever is making you afraid <3
Amen! The last few years have been incredibly faith stretching with many “get out of the boat” moments, but you are so right and said it so beautifully, He will always catch us! I love this post and grateful for a Savior with 100% success rate 😀 Abundant blessings!!
michele!
and did he ever let you fall?! we’re just as forgetful as the israelites – we’ve SEEN his goodness and his protection and safety and yet we often forget in the moment. <3
Never! He is always faithful! 😀 and yes, we are so prone to forget. I love the verse in Psalms, Let the redeemed say so! We have so much to be grateful for and are surrounded by blessings and miracles every day!
oh amen! every day blessings and every day miracles that we don’t see because we forget to be looking.
Beautiful post! Love that you say God has a perfect success rate. So true!
Thanks for sharing on the Shine Blog Hop!
tiffany – thank you so much! i was at a church on sunday and the pastor said something similar – about how WHY WOULD YOU THINK you’d be the first person God dropped the ball on? and my pastor once said something similar to that, too! i reminder i definitely needed to hear.
Wow, this post is just beautiful, Stephanie, and one that everyone needs to read. Thank you for sharing your heart with us like that!
Thanks for linking up with us on Grace & Truth, and I hope to see you back next week. I’m featuring this post in the morning!
Thanks again, so much, and God bless. <3
Jenn! THANK YOU SO MUCH for sharing my post!!! <3 i've found great joy in really discovering my voice writing about my faith and so i'm glad it's connecting with people!
I love you. And I don’t read your blog enough. Thank you for being Jesus. <3
thank you sara <3 i love you. i am sad we don't talk more.
I can totally relate to the question of trust. I believe those children run to you because, like you said, they know that you will catch them. You have a track record revealing that you can be trusted. The same is true with God. I’ve found that the more I intimately know God and His character, the easier it is to begin to have the uppercase trust in Him. Thanks for sharing your heart!
yes! the track record is important…. i love that. my pastor once said “if you want to know what God can do for your future, look to what he’s done in your past.” so true. never once has he failed me, even if momentarily i questioned it. thank you so much for stopping by! may God bless you today!