Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. The 2nd day of September has the feel of the Fall season, and it’s a reminder to me that things are destined to change around this old farm pretty soon. Before you know it, the days will be shorter and the air will be cooler. Next, the leaves will change color, and the wildlife will be preparing for the cold. It won’t be long before I’ll surrender to the cold myself, and I’ll be meeting with Living God INSIDE instead of outside on the front porch. No amount of wishing, or praying, or effort from man can change the course of these things because they’re Destined to be. When it comes to those things Destined by the Hand of the Living God…whether it’s the change of our seasons…good or bad circumstances…painful times or joyful times…I Trust Him. Isn’t that the way it is supposed to be for ALL who profess Jesus as Lord of their Lives?

It’s easy to sing Praises to the Living God when things are going well. It’s easy to give thanks when there is enough food on the table or when everybody is healthy and getting along. It’s easy to trust God when the family is in order and relationships are strong, and when we’ve got a roof over our heads. There’s no reason to be challenged by Trust issues when everything in life is smooth sailing, that’s for sure! But it’s an entirely different story when the Seasons in Life change for the “worse” and our world is temporarily turned upside-down. It’s during these challenging times that most of us don’t hesitate to run to the King and to dig into our Faith as we cry out to our God for mercy- but do we TRUST Him? Do we Trust His Plans when we lose our health or when we lose a loved one, or do we merely tolerate the pain and question the Living God about His Plans as if He must NOT Know what He’s doing if we’re feeling a little pain? Do we merely endure through the agony we experience in life sometimes, or do we consider that He has a Purpose in it all? Do we mourn for our loved ones when they leave this earth, and do we feel like we’ve “lost” them when He calls them Home to Himself, even though we (should) know that they wouldn’t leave Home now for anything in this world? Life is destined to be filled with heartbreak and trials mixed in with all the good. It’s a piece of cake to Trust Him when things are good, and we don’t hesitate to beg for mercy when things aren’t so good…but do we Trust Him?

I’m not sure why people get old and sick or why people die young. I don’t know why some people can have babies and some people can’t, or why some are snatched away into darkness. I don’t know why the poor exist in our world or why we have times of war. I don’t know where the plagues come from or what purpose they serve. I don’t know why some people are born black and some are born white. I don’t know why people stop loving each other, and I don’t understand how people can destroy the homes and businesses of total strangers all in the name of “justice.” What I DO KNOW is that He is a multi-faceted God and somehow all those bad things are threaded into ALL of those good things that we easily Trust Him with. If He’s good enough to Trust with the Good and worthy of our Thanks when things are smooth sailing, then He’s certainly Worthy of our Praise and our Thanks EVEN when the course of Life changes for Reasons we don’t understand. This is the Key to Trust.

I’m Trusting Him with the madness I see in this dark world and the hatred I see across America, and I’ll NEVER stop Praising Him through it all. I know that He says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” so it wouldn’t be very smart of me to try to figure out God with my simple human mind. I need to Trust Him with my Heart and my Life instead – through the good…through the bad…through the ugly…through the heartbreak….through the destruction…through death…through the poverty…through it ALL. Not only do I Trust Him, I surrender to Him…I Revere Him…I Serve Him…I Live for Him. He is my Loving and Compassionate God, and I TRUST Him WITH EVERYTHING, even though I don’t always understand His thoughts or His ways.

How about you?

Do you Trust Him?