Trusting in the Everlasting Arms
My friends and I lined up and clasped arms, creating a human net for my first "trust fall." Our youth pastor explained how it worked, then climbed onto a tree stump to be the first to trust us. He was a big guy, and I wasn’t confident we could catch him.
He turned away from us and stiffened his body like a board, then fell backwards into our arms. First, I felt the weight of him. Our arms squished together and drooped towards the ground, then lifted back up. Feet shuffled. Dust flew. Giggles abounded. Somehow, we got Doug back on his feet. We did it! We caught him. What a rush!
When it was my turn to fall, I had no doubt my friends could catch me. I was small, a fraction of the weight of our youth pastor. Still, I stood on the stump and hesitated. It wasn’t hard to believe my friends could catch me. The hard part was trusting that they would.
Now, decades later, I feel like I’m standing on that tree stump again. Life got complicated this spring. I’ve wrestled with unforeseen sadness, pain, and confusion. How did this happen? How will God make it right?
Really, it’s the same struggle I had with the trust fall. It’s easy to believe that God can help, intervene, and do a miracle. He’s God! Anything is possible with God. It’s harder to trust that He will.
I rehearse what I know to be true. God is good. He is able. And He is sovereign. My problem is a tale as old as time, the same problem Eve had in the garden. Does our great God care about little ol’ me?
Sure, we say the God of the universe is good, in a far-off, bigger-than-me sort of way. You may believe God has everything in control "overall." But do you trust that God is good to you? Will you trust that His way is best for you? Will you trust that He’s got everything under control in your life?
God can absolutely, without a doubt, catch us when we’re falling. Our challenge is to trust that He will. That He will be there with arms outstretched, lift us out of the pit, and embrace us to His chest, before setting our feet back on solid ground.
When we trust Him to be good for us, we can release control, lean back, and fall into His arms.
For me, trusting that God will catch me and lift me back onto solid ground looks like not taking pre-emptive action right now, but waiting on Him to move in this situation. Trusting God means I’m quoting Deuteronomy 33:26-27 (NIV) to myself by the hour.
"There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides across the heavens to help you and the clouds in his majesty. The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms."
Our God loves you individually. He cares about the details in your life. He rides across the heavens to help you. Nothing can stop the God of Jeshurun ("beloved one"). Nothing will stop Him from being there for you, ready to catch you and wrap you in His love.
Will you trust that He will?
Questions for Reflection:
- Where do you hesitate to trust that God will help you? How does knowing that God cares about you as an individual help you to trust Him?
- Reflect on times when God has caught you in His everlasting arms. How has that built your trust in Him?