Trusting God more than Chuck Norris

"Who is this coming from Edom, 
   from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson? 
Who is this, robed in splendor, 
   striding forward in the greatness of his strength?
   'It is I, proclaiming victory, 
   mighty to save.'"
Isaiah 63:1


I have trust issues with God.  He knows this about me (and loves me anyway).

I was watching an episode of "Frasier" the other day, in which Frasier and Niles see a couples therapist to resolve their differences.  The therapist declared their problem to be a lack of trust, so he tried to get them to participate in something known as "the trust fall."  You may have seen this before - where one person stands behind the other, and the person in front relaxes their body and falls back into the arms of the other.  The point is to trust the person behind you to catch you.

I got to thinking...if I were to do a trust fall with God, would I believe He would catch me?  I mean, logically, we're talking about the only Being who is truly and completely trustworthy.  So why would I even hesitate?  Why DO I hesitate?

Just this past week, God asked me to do something.  It seemed simple enough on the surface, but as the week progressed, some unexpected aspects came up which made the task seem insurmountable.  I basically lost a whole night's sleep worrying about it.  In the end, God removed all the difficulty, and the task was completed with ease.  All that worry for nothing, just because I couldn't trust.  And this is only the 397th time He's come through.  This week.  :)

A few months ago, I added a new instrument to my spiritual toolbox when someone suggested I start praying for revelation.  I had never done this before, and frankly, it has sparked a spiritual awakening for me.  (I have yet to be denied an answer to this prayer.  Try it!)  So, I asked God to reveal something to me about my trust issues.

I've discovered I have a very limited view of God.  To a certain degree, that is just the way it will be while we are on this earth.  And even in Paradise, I believe it will take all eternity to truly know God. For now, I am finding I not only restrict God's capabilities in my mind, but I tend to place human limitations on Him as well.  I forget that, unlike people, He is always good.  I forget that, unlike me, He has "the big picture."  I forget that He is supernatural and all-powerful, unlike any human on the planet (yes, even Chuck Norris).  God is NOT ME.  He will not screw up, and He will never betray me.

Jesus, though fully God, is also fully human.  That is why He is able to sympathize with us and intercede on our behalf.  But He is not subject to our limitations.   He is, as Isaiah said, mighty to save.  

Lamentations 3:24-26 says, "I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.' The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."  This will be my prayer for the new year - to learn to wait quietly.  To draw my strength from the knowledge of who God is.  To stop tossing and turning and striving.

Will I always get it right?  Not likely.  But I'm ready to give that trust fall a chance.  Here I come, Lord...catch me!