Trusting and Believing: Devotions From Time of GraceSample

Why Is It so Hard to Trust God? Fear What are you afraid of right now? You can be a tough guy and say, “I’m not afraid of anything.” But you are--be honest. Others have the opposite response: “I have so many fears--where do I start?” Fear holds us back from trusting and believing. Fear paralyzes. Fear makes our painful memories much more intense. Fear breeds despair about the future and makes us not like our present very much either. Fear makes us blind to the blessings we have, and fear makes it difficult, even impossible, to believe that there will be good things to come. God’s Old Testament people, the nation of Israel, had much to worry about in the eighth century B.C. Their armies were being battered, their cities looted, and their cattle stolen. People were being captured and enslaved. Their nation was being nibbled away, leaving only a smaller and smaller core of what was once a mighty empire. In those bleak times, Isaiah had some wonderful words to tell them. They could trust and believe in a God who was not going to let them lose their true treasure. In fact, God would actually be using the hard things in their lives to help them! He said in Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” When you find yourself being afraid, take a deep breath, listen to these words of God, and remember that you are being cradled in God’s very big hands. You are safe.