Will you stay when the Lord says go?

While listening to the choir sing a song in church a few weeks ago, these thoughts began to swirl in my head.  As the choir sang these words, "I don't want to stand when the Lord says go," I began to think about what that really means.  How easy it is to sing this but how different it is to really put it into practice.  To truly mean these words you must completely trust God - not in the outcome His will brings but in His character.  God's ways are higher than our ways.  If we try and figure out or trust in the outcome, we totally miss that it is God's character that brings comfort and peace not the actual provisions. 

Oh, how He loves us.  Not as a lord directing his subjects but as a father tenderly guiding his children with great care and tenderness.

Trust, what a small word that carries such a heavy calling.  God asks us to trust Him.  We ask our children to trust us.  We ask our friends and loved ones to trust us.  What does that really mean?  I always thought that it meant to just believe a person's word to be true.  However, I am beginning to see that it is much more than that.  To truly trust in God is not to only believe that whatever He brings your way is for your best, but that it is to know, with certainty that God is who He said He is.  Alpha Omega, the Great Shepherd, I AM, Everlasting Father...no matter the name He will never change.  He is pure and holy.  He cannot fail.  He cannot mess up.  He is perfect in every way.  It is in believing this about His character that you can begin to put trust in Him.  If you try to believe based on His works, you are placing conditional trust in Him.  The how's and why's of what He does are truly not our concern - they are His.

If you have had trouble placing full trust in God, shift your focus off of His will and on to His character, for out of His character comes faith, love and acceptance.  Out of His character comes grace and peace.  Out of His character comes salvation!

If you are trying to find peace anywhere else, you will miss the most precious, all encompassing love gift ever given - Jesus.  Only true perfect character would drive the Son of the Most High God to the cross to die the most excruciating death possible without any other reason that to give us the OPTION of life over death.  He didn't have to do it.  He wasn't guaranteed our acceptance of His offer.  He loved us enough to hope we would love Him enough to choose to believe His sacrifice would bring us salvation.  WOW!  Thank you Lord for loving us in this way!  May I trust in Your character despite what my circumstances bring!