It wasn't the first time and it won't be the last

Trust in God..
What does this (trusting God) mean to you? What does it look like to trust someone? Let alone a being in the heavens that we can't see. You often hear Christians in times of trouble say 'trust God' and although that is some sound advice, it's not very practical when you don't know how. Trusting God isn't something that happens over night, it takes time, it's a process, a walk God takes us on so we can learn how to trust him with everything in our life. To reach a point in life where we can just say its God problem not mine; without anxiety and fear pushing through our fleshly walls into our heart and mind. I am in no way saying here I have it all together, but what I can say, is, as the walk takes place, is does get a lot easier to trust God. The best thing is, is he has so much grace, patience and mercy for us, he allows us to go at a pace we can relate to, until we get to a place we can be stretched into a deeper level of understanding and trust for him. He knows our capabilities and how much we can handle. And well a God of the whole universe, knows how much time it will take and/or how much time we need. Time doesn't phase God, he has all the time he desires. The cherry of the cake is he desires to spend it on you and me. Now isn't that something special.

I remember a time in my life and believe me when I say it wasnt that long ago, where I was deep in the anxiety pool, I didn't know how to trust God. I kept hearing about trusting him, but I didn't know how. I felt like I was constantly hitting an invisible brick wall and I couldn't over come it. I really wanted to be able to trust him, but looking back I had to over come obstacles that were in my way. Such as a father figure. I grew up without my dad. So accepting God as my father was a challenge. But God knows this, and is sensitive to our situations. Yet each obstacle of our past that is  in the way of our trusting in God, he himself has a way through the chaos so we can be another step closer to trusting him. Another obstacle for me was rejection, and/or fear of. This still is a working progress but I am a lot further down the healing road of this than I was 3 years ago. I know God will finish what he started in me, for the bible in Phillipians 1:6 says and i am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Examples in my life.
While sitting in the church hall of Oakington St Andrew's, drinking a cup of tea and eating a few custard cream biscuits with my two youngest daughters, waiting for playgroup to start, a storm took place. With howling winds, crazy down pour of rain, and a dash of hail stone. What a sight, fascinating to watch, but to be honest my first reaction was, well on ones going to turn up in that. Even I wouldn't want to leave the house in that. Baring in mind we still had a good 45 minutes until everyone normally would turn up. Which in some cases isn't a lot of time, but with God a lot can happen in that time. Anyway, in this particular moment. I wasnt convinced that anyone would show up, let alone a chance this storm would end. After all for the past week or less during that time, we'd had none stop wind and on and off rain. But anyway in the midst of my thoughts and feelings towards what was happening outside God just said trust me. Fair enough God. Minutes went by and still no change. Trust me. Ok God. Then out no where everything outside, all the chaos just vanished. The rain clouds, gone, blue sky for the rest of the day. The wind, died down but not totally gone. Giving it 15 minutes time to warm up a little before people turned up. And surely enough they did

Proverbs 3:5-6 New Living Translation (NLT)

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
    do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
    and he will show you which path to take.

Another event that comes to mind is from 5 years ago, when myself and my husband and girls went to South Africa. You see to start from the beginning my granny (my dad mom) died the month before we were due to arrive. Bad timing but least shes safe in glory with Jesus, hallelujah. Anyway, the rest of the family we saw had planned for spread the ashes on this mountain place in south Africa (the name of which escapes me) however it was put off for some reason, to which I just cried. Because she was my gran, my family too, I wasnt fortunate to be apart of her life much because it was expensive to go back and forth from country to country. I tried to hide my emotions but I couldn't for long, and my auntie had no idea it meant so much. So they arranged for the weekend before we were to go home. Only if it wasnt raining. So, on the day, it was a Sunday. We had found a church nearby in Johannesburg, and attended it that morning. To which a wonderful down pour took place. My immediate reaction was 'oh great, we aren't going" but God had bigger plans. He said to me in that moment, trust me. So I took a deep breath and carried on. And low and behold it, the heavey rain stopped, and I don't know if you've ever been to south Africa but rain dries up in seconds. Literally.  I was amazed. By the time we had gone to the car, you couldn't tell it had just rain so heavily. Hallelujah.

Someone once said and I am sure many others say it too, that you can always find answers in the bible. So let's take a look. When I felt I knew I had to share about this trusting in God as a blog. That day one of the bible plans of my phone was about the story/testimony of Jesus walking on water. You see Jesus often liked to communicate to the father God, he did this through prayer. And in this particular moment he had just finished up teaching to a vast crowd. As he sent everyone home he also told his disciples to go ahead of him while he finished up there. After he prayed, he set off to the other side of the lake, which in this case he was waking on water. And as you can imagine, if you saw it yourself you'd of reacted the same way. With absolute fear, like you were seeing a ghost. But Jesus being the loving Lord he just said "do not be afraid" on of his disciples, called out him and asked that if it really was him to tell him to come to him while walking on water. Jesus full on confidence responds "come" fear, excitement, all the adrenaline rushing through his body I guess, with the chaotic whether and the messiah walking on water. Strange feeling but enough to lead this curious mind to Jesus himself even if it meant walking on water. Now it is written that the disciple did walk on water for abit but he took his eyes off Jesus and immediately fear creeps in. Just like every day life. So he begins to sink, crying out to Jesus, and Jesus rescues him from going under.







Matthew 14:22-33 New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Walks on the Water

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

29 “Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Well I don't know about you, but I've never met anyone whose walked on water. But I have personally experienced the impossible in my life. Whatever you are experiencing in your life right now, I pray that God will help you get to a point in your life where you can hypothetically walk on water. See the impossible unfold in your life. You may say how. The only way I know how is this, God longs to do the impossible in and through us, but because of free will, the gift he granted mankind when he set it all in motion at the beginning; he cannot forces us to do anything. So he longs for an invitation to be apart of our lives. And when we invite him in and give our lives in his hands, the impossible becomes possible.

Let's pray.
Father, we've spoken on the topic of trusting you. God its not always easy. Especially when we haven't had the experience others have, or seen what they've seen. Heard what they've heard. It is amazing to hear what others have experienced but when we are in the middle of a storm that feels impossible, the fear of the unknown. Trusting you can feel like a mammoth of a task. Lord help us to learn to trust you, when the fear of the unknown kicks in. Help us to live out your word, and what it says about us, about you, and about life. Thank you for what you do in our loves regardless to the mess ups we do. In jesus name, amen.