David said, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me (Psalm 56:3-4)?” And I am afraid. I was asked, “How do you know things are going to be OK? How do you know things will work out?” I don’t. I have no idea how this will play out. This could go in a myriad of directions, like the superhero multi-verse or Star Trek alternate dimensions. I am afraid. But I know who I follow. I know who’s in charge. I know whom I have believed.
That’s the funny thing about our decisions, we don’t know exactly how they’ll turn out. We have facts, faith, and feelings, we can make a good guess and hope for the best, but we don’t know for sure. We trust in God. God is in charge when I say, “I don’t know, maybe, we’ll see, I hope so.” We don’t always have clarity; things look foggy from our end, but we do have trust, and He sees everything clearly. His word will not return void, He works to fulfill His goals and purposes. It would be nice to have both clarity and trust, but if you have to choose, which is better? Clarity is for a moment, it comes and goes, but trust lasts longer. Clarity is for the situation, but trust is in the person. I am following God, what can go wrong?
I am afraid, but God is in charge of the situation. He’s got the whole world in His hands and He’s got this issue under control. He is sovereign over all things. “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows (Matthew 10:29-31).” Abraham Kuyper said, “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, ‘Mine!’” God is in charge of this crisis.
It’s the “putting my trust in You” part that’s tough. It’s the conscience willing of my thoughts, in the midst of fear, to look to Him and say, “I trust you.” The father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” Can I cry out, “I trust, help my lack of trust?” Trust involves faith and faith comes from God. I know it says, “Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:7),” but do I? Lord, increase my faith in this scary time! The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you (Luke 17:5-6).” Thomas Schriener explains, “It isn’t about the quantity of our faith but the object of our faith. If our faith is in the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, then it has a great effect. Our faith makes a difference not because it is so great but because God is so great, because he is the sovereign one who rules over all things. Our faith doesn’t thrive when we think about how much faith we have; it springs up when we behold our God—when we see Jesus as the One crucified and risen for us.”
“Fear not, you of little faith.” It is the constant redirecting of my thoughts and will, to have faith and trust in God. To choose to trust God. To have faith over fear. To be able to say as David also said in Psalm 23:4, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Things will work out according to God’s purposes and plan and you can rest in that. “All things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).”