Trust God When You Don't Know What To Do!

Trust God When You Don't Know What to Do!

The Coronavirus may have given us a new reason to be afraid, but we have a reason not to fear that has not changed in over 2,000 years: Jesus! Whether we are facing a pandemic or any other threat, the most important thing to remember is this: trust God when you don't know what to do!

God Is Always With You!

Rest assured that God is always with you! Hebrews 13:5-6 says that God will never leave you nor forsake you! So you can boldly say, "The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." As the old song says, "He's got the whole world in his hands!" That means that as long as you are in the world, you are in God's hands!

I remember when my youngest child had to go to the hospital when she was just a baby. She was screaming her head off, which was completely out of character for her. She hadn't eaten all day. She couldn't talk yet, so we had no idea what was wrong. I felt so helpless, because there was nothing I could do ... That is, there was nothing I could do on my own!

As David said in Psalm 61:2, "When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I."

If I was the highest "rock" in my life, I would have nowhere else to turn when I came to the end of my own resources and my own strength! But thanks be to God, there is a rock that is higher than me! And through prayer, I have him on speed dial, 24-hours a day, seven days a week!

My heart was in my throat as the doctor said they would need to run some tests to rule out a potentially dangerous condition. There was nothing I could do to control the situation. I had no choice but to "let go and let God."

Before the doctor gave us the results of the test, I prayed and committed everything -- my daughter, her health, the results of the test -- to God. I prayed for her to be fully restored to health, of course. But I knew that no matter what the doctor said, everything would be alright.

God Has It All Worked Out!

Keep reminding yourself that God has it all worked out! We may be surprised by sudden reversals of fortune and unexpected difficulties. But these events will never surprise God, who sees the end from the beginning. (Isaiah 46:10.)

Of course, you can know this, intellectually. But you have to remind your heart, over and over, anytime your feelings reveal that you are really afraid that things won't work out for you or those you love.

God loves you unconditionally. He will never leave you or forsake you. As Psalm 39 declares, there is nowhere you can go where God is not with you; your entire life was written in God's book before you were even born; and you are "fearfully and wonderfully made."

Based on these promises from God, ask yourself, how could it be possible for things not to work out for you and those you love? Yes, we may experience some short-term losses and some temporary setbacks, but the ultimate reality is this: you are victorious through Christ!

How to Activate Your Faith!

Romans 12:3 says that to each of us, God has given a "measure of faith." And like the tiny measure of leaven in Jesus' parable that caused the whole batch to rise (Matthew 13:33), when you activate your faith and let God into your circumstances to go to work on your behalf, you can be confident that he will cause every aspect of your situation to work together for your ultimate good (Romans 8:28).

I know it can be tough to deal with danger and uncertainty. We are human after all, and we have natural human emotions, including fear. Our emotions were created by God, so our emotions are not wrong or sinful. But our emotions were meant to serve us, not to rule our lives.

Our emotions tell us what is going on in our hearts and  in our lives. If we experience fear, we should always ask why. Is there some real danger? Then God would have us be prudent and take reasonable precautions. Fear should motivate you to do something about the source of your fear. Fear might feel like a negative emotion, but its results should always lead us to some positive action in response.

Remember, courage is not the opposite of fear. Courage is the willingness to confront what you fear. And to do that, you need faith.

So how do you activate your faith when you are afraid? First, turn to God. Follow David's counsel from Psalm 61: when your heart is overwhelmed with fear, sorrow, regret, or any other unpleasant emotion, turn your attention to the rock that is higher than yourself: Jesus.

Remind yourself of who Jesus is and what he has promised to do. Remember what Jesus said to the disciples before he ascended into heaven, "And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." (Matthew 28:20). Are you a disciple of Jesus? Has the world ended yet? If you are a Christian, then Jesus is definitely still with you!

If you have done anything wrong, then ask God for forgiveness, and then receive that forgiveness. Forgive yourself. Don't try to have a higher standard for yourself than God does. He has made forgiveness easy, so don't you try to make it difficult. Forgive yourself.

If you have harmed someone else, then apologize and take reasonable steps to make amends. If you are too emotionally involved in a conflict with someone else to see what is appropriate to do, then ask a neutral third-party whose judgment you trust for advice. Once you have apologized and made amends, then move on. Don't wait on the other person to forgive you; receive forgiveness from God, and give forgiveness to yourself.

Now celebrate God's forgiveness and the new life he has given you. Give thanks to God! As the apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 8:32, God gave us Jesus to suffer and die, so that we could be saved; so you know that means that God is not going to hold anything back to give us what we need in life.

If you need an example of how to activate your faith, just look at the apostle Peter when he saw Jesus walking on the water in Matthew 14. First, he asked Jesus, "If this is you, if you're in this, then communicate that to me, so that I can join with you in this situation." Then he listened for Jesus' voice. And when Jesus called him, he went. No further questions. And as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, he was able to do the impossible and stay on top of his circumstances. But unfortunately, Peter let his attention shift from Jesus to the problems and threats around him. When he saw the wind and the waves, he became afraid, and he started to sink. But Peter knew what to do: he immediately called out to Jesus to save him, and Jesus did.

When it's you in the middle of one of life's storms, do what Peter did correctly: focus on Jesus, on hearing his voice, and on doing what he leads you to do. But don't make the same mistake Peter made: don't take your eyes off Jesus. But if you do, follow Peter's example and immediately turn back to God, knowing that he hears your prayers and is quick to save and restore whatever has been lost.

Trust God When You Don't Know What To Do! 

The bottom line is this: trust God no matter what. Whether you think you know what to do or not, trust God. Whether you think you have everything you need or not, trust God. Whether you feel like everything is going well or poorly, trust God. Whether you feel like you have it all figured out, or whether you feel like you are completely overwhelmed and confused, trust God. Remind yourself who Jesus is, what he has done, and everything he has promised to do. Trust God.