I remember doing a teambuilding activity as a kid in Scouts, one of those dreaded trust falls. Standing on the edge of a picnic table, arms crossed over my chest, I closed my eyes and fell backward. Behind me stood five other 13-year-old boys with their arms outstretched, ready to catch me.
That fall only lasted a second, but in that moment, it felt like ten. Ten seconds of wondering:
Can they catch me? Will they?
That question, Will they?, is the reason most people now roll their eyes at trust falls. They’ve become the punchline of teambuilding jokes. But why?
Because deep down, we struggle with trust. We fear what might happen if we truly let go. And that’s not just true on the edge of a picnic table.
“Do you trust Me?”
That’s the question God whispered to me this morning during my quiet time, literally 20 minutes ago.
And life is happening right now. I’m about to leave for a funeral. It’s the middle of a packed work week, loaded with projects and deadlines. At the end of the week, I’m driving one of my kids to Arizona for his sophomore year of college… 1,600 miles away, 25 hours by car. Two weeks later, we drop off his sister at her school. Then, just like that, the house will be empty again for the next nine months. In the middle of all this, God leans in and asks…
“Do you trust Me?”
With my kids?
With my marriage?
With my finances?
With my to-do list?
With my aging mom?
If I’m being honest, I have a habit of trusting myself more than anyone else, including God. I believe He can do all things. I’ve got full faith in His power. But will He?
That’s where I get stuck.
My default has been to take over. To carry the load myself. It’s a pattern that’s been with me for decades and God is calling it out.
“Do you trust Me?”
When I opened my Bible this morning, like I often do, to a “random” page, I landed in Psalm 146. I’ve learned these moments are never random, and today, the words leapt off the page:
Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
Do not put your trust in princes,
in human beings, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.
Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
he remains faithful forever.
He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the foreigner
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
The Lord reigns forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord.
It describes the character of the God we’re called to trust:
- He upholds the oppressed
- He feeds the hungry
- He sets prisoners free
- He gives sight to the blind
- He lifts up the broken
- He watches over the outsider, the fatherless, and the widow
- He reigns forever
This is who God is. And He’s asking me to trust Him.
So, here’s the prayer I wrote this morning, and maybe it’s a prayer for you too:
God, today, help me to trust You. Help me release this fake trust I’ve placed in myself and turn my heart fully toward You. I trust You with my kids, my marriage, my finances, my business, my mom, and my health. In every area, shift my gaze toward You and away from the idol I’ve created in myself. I want to fall into Your arms with confidence, because I know You will catch me.
…
Written by John Gamades, author of WAR: A Tactical Guide for Christian Men and Conquer: Daily Devotions for the Christian Man