Trusting God – Erin Ulerich

What keeps you up at night?

Sometimes it’s too much caffeine for me. Sometimes it’s the anticipation of the next day.

But most of the time it’s because I’m feeling fearful or anxious about something. I rack my brain, trying to figure things out or trying to make sense of crazy circumstances.

And instead of finding solutions, I just lose sleep.

Dr. Dan Allender puts it this way in Hope When You Are Hurting, “But life is disturbing, and we struggle with what God is up to.“

Can I get an Amen on that?

How many times have you thought those very words, how many times have I said them? “God, what are you doing?” As hard as we try, there are times when we cannot figure out what God is up to.

Life is hard to figure out.

We live within layers of life, where things are happening simultaneously around us, to us, and by us, while we try to make sense of it all. When we try to figure it all out, we default to a formula where our life experiences shape our definition of who God is and whether He loves us.

Good things happening = God is good and happy with us.

Bad things happening = God is bad, weak, or mad at us.

This formula looks simple and easy to follow. But life cannot be lived through a formula. Life is complex and complicated, a mix of joy and sorrow at any given moment.

Instead of a formula, we must live by truth. This truth is a great place to start: We were not made to live in fear. The opposite of fear is trust.

Jesus came to set us free from the fears that keep us up at night. From the sin patterns that keep us feeling distant from God, We can find our rest in Him.

“He restores my soul.” (Psalm 23:3)

The word for restores that is used here means to turn away. The Lord turns our soul away. Not away from Him, but away from the things that harm our soul. He turns our soul back toward Him, where it is protected and safe.

God is constant and unchanging, while life around us swirls in chaos.

Instead of letting our life experiences shape our definition of who God is and whether He loves us, what would it look like if we let who God is and His love for us shape our definition of our life experiences? This idea is more than playing around with words. The difference between these two is the difference between hope and despair. I’ve experienced it in my own life.

The more we know Him, the more we know His tender love for us, the more we can trust His hand in our lives, even when we don’t understand what He is doing.

This life begins the process of being set free, of being released from our sins and fears, and of finding our rest in God. The process will be complete the moment we step into His presence, face to face at last.

If you enjoyed this post, I know you will enjoy the devotions in my new book, In Unexpected Ways: Christmas in Everyday Life. Available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback. This is an affiliate link.

This post is also available in video form on my YouTube Channel.

How did you bring in the new year?

We brought it in very quietly, which was different.

A year ago, we joined a few other families for a celebration filled with games, food, laughter, and fireworks. We threw open the door for 2020 and welcomed it in. I chose #2020seeingclearly as my hashtag for the year and made a list of all the things I wanted to accomplish.

Then, like a snow globe in the hands of a toddler, the world, on a global and personal scale, was turned upside down and vigorously sloshed from side to side.

At first we were flustered about the intrusion, then frustrated. As it went on we became rattled, and eventually worn down. The more our world was shaken, the more we found that the things we cling to were shaken right along with us.

Trials and loss have a way of showing us what we are clinging to. If those things fail us, what are we left with?

What if we could cling to something that couldn’t be shaken, no matter how hard the snow globe is thrown?

My hashtag was more fitting than I imagined, though not for the reason I chose it. The days, months, and events of 2020 helped me see a few things very clearly.

I am not in control, but God is. Every plan can be cancelled, but the plans of the Lord never fail. His purposes stand. 2020 taught me to hold my plans loosely, and to look with eyes of faith for what God is doing.

Trusting God is the way to combat fear. Unlike things or people that we place our trust in, God will never leave or abandon us. His overall plan is to draw us closer to Himself, and He uses world events to do just that. Fear shouts in our ears, bringing chaos to a rising roar so that we cannot hear the calm, steady voice of the Lord saying I’ve got you. Trust me. Trusting God means that we stop listening to the voice of fear, and begin listening to truth.

The more I know God, the easier it is to trust Him. The way to get to know God is through His Word. The Bible is a gift from God to us where He shows us who He is and who we are in relation to Him.

He does this through story and through poetry. He lets us see people who failed Him and those who trusted Him. And we see how He responds to those people.

Through His Word we see His love for imperfect people just like us. We see how He works inside the bounds of circumstances, and how He works above the bounds of circumstances. He is not limited in any way.

As we get to know God, we see the depth of His love for us. His unfailing love for us helps us trust Him.

God’s love, trustworthiness, and character – these are the things that cannot be shaken by circumstances.

As we begin a new year, may we hold loosely to things and people, and tightly to the things that cannot be shaken. May we find solid footing as we spend time in God’s Word. May we cling to truth.

And may we give our time and energy to pouring these lasting things into the lives of those around us.

How to get started? A Prayer for 2021 is a great place to begin. It is a prayer asking God to do what only He can do and asking Him to use us as He does it. Click on the link for the printable PDF version of the image below.

What are your thoughts on 2020 and on the year ahead? What do you hope to do to make this year different?

Happy New Year, my friend!

Erin