Relying on God

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Relying on God

by Leah Hadder

Iadmit it, I have struggled trusting God. It has not always been easy for me to follow His leading. Through His goodness and grace, the Lord taught me through a lesson that He could be trusted, even when I was angry, confused, and heartbroken. His love—in teaching me to

trust Him—was evident in that lesson. It appeared in a breakup years ago.

I wanted a relationship to continue so badly that when it fell through, I hastily became angry believing that God took away a blessing. At the time, I wondered if God had intentionally acted to destroy the relationship as a punishment towards me. I mistakenly believed that He did not care about my happiness nor that He cared about how I would miss the relationship moving forward.

Though I hatefully questioned God, He lovingly answered me. God is a faithful God. He is a caring God and He truly knows best. Years later—after much prayer and studying scripture—I realized that the relationship I had prayed to thrive would not have been ideal for myself or for him. We were moving through life on separate tracks, needing to run our Christian races apart. Since that relationship “collapse,” God has blessed both of us abundantly, separately, in the lives He designed for us. Our relationship was a season, a chapter—it was not meant to be a lasting commitment.

God taught me to trust Him when I did not understand. In His goodness, I realized why the relationship needed to end. I can see it now. When I thought God was punishing me, He was propelling me forward into my destiny on a bright, shining path (Proverbs 4:18 ESV). He gave me hope and perspective. Instead of continuously reliving failure, I began daily to live out a successful future. I have listened to others lament over broken relationships, failed career plans, the loss of financial means, and many other unfortunate occurrences. There were times when I immediately knew what to say to provide comfort and other times when I gave a listening ear. Though I do not have all the answers, I know the One who does. Seek Him in prayer. Tell Him how you feel. Ask Him to guide you and to help you trust His plan.

Refer to Jeremiah 17:7-8 ESV: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

Listen to Him. Obey Him. Allow yourself to see the goodness of God move in your situation. May He continue to amaze you as He reveals His glory. As C.S. Lewis wrote, “Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done.”

The Author Leah Hadder is a speaker, writer, and podcast host. She attends Living Word Church in Cleveland, Tennessee. Contact Leah at www.leahhadder.org.