God promises us that He will never abandon us, but waiting without trust in the outcome is difficult
Our desire for instant gratification makes it almost impossible to wait with joy and hope. We don’t have much practice at waiting unless we are at the edge of something we are anticipating. I have sat with many a person in the hospital who is waiting for a doctor’s care, the results of a test or a visit from a loved one. That practice, even though we don’t choose to be in that situation, gives us the opportunity to learn to wait well.
We have all heard the promises that God makes to us. God will never abandon us. God has us in the palm of His hand. All our needs will be taken care of and God wishes for each of us to be with Him forever. With all those promises, we should have a certainty about those things that cause us to wait, but we haven’t practiced enough to be good at that yet. What is it that makes the difference between a person who waits with joy and hope and a person filled with anxiety as they anticipate something?
Trust is that difference. We all know enough that when we are presented with a situation that has nothing but positive possible consequences, it’s easier to wait for those results to unfold. It might still be difficult to wait, but it is waiting with the anticipation of something good about to happen. Somehow, we have learned to trust the person or situation and to believe the words that were spoken. We are not willing to give up that trust because of our past experiences. If people or situations have been proposed to us that promise something and then do not deliver, it is much more difficult to wait and almost impossible to wait with joy and hope. For any of us who have had “the rug pulled out from one of us” many times, it’s difficult even to enjoy when the good is happening, because we believe that it’s gonna go away quickly. It is difficult to stay present out of fear for the future.
Whenever the Israelites began to mistrust God and follow a different path, Moses and other leaders would try to help them remember what God had done for them in the past and how faithful God has been. Remembering is often a tool to reestablish trust. Perhaps we can take a moment this week to do some remembering. God often works through the blessed people among us to be the fulfiller of His promises. Remember those people in our lives who have done what they said they would do, even if it’s easier for for us to remember those who have failed us. Let the goodness of others remind you of the goodness of God.
In addition to remembering so that trust can rebuild in our minds and hearts, let’s plan a way so that we might be the instrument through which trust in God is reestablished in others. God has promised us that all of our needs would be provided. Is there a way that we could find a situation around use where we might help provide the needs of those who are in trouble? Can we find a way to feed the hungry or clothe the naked or visit the sick and the imprisonment? We already know the answer, but I wonder if we believe that we could be an instrument of God to help rebuild the trust of others. The kingdom of God is at hand. Remember and help rebuild trust in others.
