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Abandoned to the God who Brings Low

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

    and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him,

    and he will make straight your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

If we were to compile a list of short Bible verses that encapsulate the life of the believer, this would surely make that list.  But this kind of total trust is not natural to us.  In some ways, the longer we walk on this earth, the better mechanisms we develop to try to handle the trials of life on our own.  Often, it is ironically our God-given strengths that we employ to this end.  But where we place our trust is what we ultimately look to as "god", even if that god is self.  In his Small Catechism, Luther said, "A god is that to which we look for all good and in which we find refuge in every time of need.  To have a god is nothing else than to trust and believe him with our whole heart." 

For me, one of the biggest areas I struggle with trusting God is when it comes to pain.  Past hurts become fresh fuel for my Old Adam to pull out all of his best skills to manage life in the face of past and potential future hurts.  But it has never worked, never wrought good things.  It has only brought stagnation, anger, control, withdrawal, and all manner of fallout from those things.  Who can protect me from being hurt, betrayed, lied to, lied about, judged behind my back, and the like?  Certainly, it is me, I conclude.  After all, the Lord did not protect me when those things happened the first time, or any of the times after that.  Who can help me manage the black hole inside and keep things at bey?  Again, certainly it is me.  I can fix it.  I can fix myself by applying the right things, using the mind God has given me.  Right?  No.  God's Word warns us that trusting in ourselves, being wise in our own eyes, doesn't just not work.  It makes us fools.  And it puts us, in our pride, in direct opposition to God, who seeks to bring us to trust happily in Him.  

It is true... He cannot be trusted to never allow me to be hurt or experience so many other horrible things.  But He can be trusted with it.  Though He might have me brought low, it is for Him to lift me up.  It is for Him to kill and make alive again.  This is the doorway to everything else.


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