I have this playlist called, “Soul Music” and over the years I have collected songs that have deeply touched my heart and soul where my faith is concerned. Most of them come from high school, a few from college and one or two post-college. This is the playlist I often listen to as I work on ministry because it primes my heart to listen for the lord. As I was thinking about my situation today and what to say to our readers, the song, “Trust in You” by Lauren Daigle came on. This song has always connected to me in times of uncertainty. The first time was in college as a senior, facing down not getting what I thought I wanted, then a new city and new life and not knowing what God was going to do next. Today, I focused specifically on one word, trust.
Trust is a funny thing. I trust people differently. Some get the fullest, raw version of my emotions and thoughts. Some get the refined thoughts and emotions. Some get nothing because I don’t trust them. Then I started to think about how I trust God. I’d like to say I always trust him fully, but that would be a lie. I have often doubted and dropped to my knees asking, “God, why this, I don’t understand!” Praise God that scripture speaks into these moments! We come into chapter 9 of Mark’s gospel and hear a story of a father coming to Jesus about his son. You see the boy was possessed by a spirit and the father asks Jesus to take it out if he can. Then we get this exchange in verses 23 and 24,
“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!””
The exclamation of the father has always been my prayer when I felt my trust slip. Then I looked at Covid-19 and what it has done to us. In some ways it has blessed us to slow down, and in others it has deeply wounded us. Mostly, we are left asking: What’s next, Lord? Can I trust what you’re doing in all this? Will you guide me through? I think these questions are what made the chorus of the song stick out to me.
“When You don’t move the mountains I’m needing You to move
When You don’t part the waters I wish I could walk through
When You don’t give the answers as I cry out to You
I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You!”
Maybe you are feeling like mountains aren’t being moved, or you can’t go where you want or God hasn’t answered your prayers. In these moments we reflect on who God is, what he has done for his people despite their constant turning away and what he did for us on the cross. Our God will never abandon us and we know he has a plan and future for us. He has proved time and time again He will come through for us! Our Easter victory is the greatest reminder that God has a plan and will see it through. Hopefully, as you reflect on that, you are left saying I will trust in you Lord, or like the father in Mark, I do believe, help my unbelief! If you’d like to listen to the rest of the song, here’s a link: