KEEP WATCH

Simple Trust

Dogs are trusting souls. No matter what is going on beyond the end of their nose, trust is front and center. No questions. No second guessing. No worries about when or where or how or why. Better yet, they never complain. They just trust. Trust for dogs is that wonderful sense of knowing everything is going to be okay when they are with us.

But is learning to trust God more complicated that it needs to be? It can be. The Apostle Paul voiced his concern about trust when he wrote about the need to recapture the simplicity of Christ. He wrote, "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:3 KJV).

Paul is right. Trust (or faith) is that mystical part of the soul that says you'll be okay when you trust (believe) in Jesus Christ (John 11:25-27). Allow me to share a simple truth about trust. In fact, if you have dogs and if the opening image is any clue, you know what's to follow.

Occasionally when I go somewhere my two dogs jump in the car. They know nothing about what day it is, what time it is, or where they are going. Weather is no concern. Time is a concept for humans. What they do know is that wherever I go and they're invited, it's going to be good day and good ride.

Dogs don't know anything about automobiles or that they are jumping into one. All they know is when the door opens, the adventure begins. They have no notion of what an automobile is, why they were designed, what they cost, how they work, or why anyone would want one. To them it's a wonder, and they are okay with that. They trust!.

Dogs have no concept of distance or direction, and from the back seat marvel as trees, street lights, and buildings passing by as we drive. They see the sun following along as though it's some kind of friend lighting the way. As far as they can tell, the car hasn't moved and nether have they. They may even wonder at motion and how it all comes about but in the end are none the wiser.

When stopping, both jump up to see where they are, as though they would know. Their noses bump against a mysterious barrier called a window. Not understanding the invisible force keeping them inside the car, they accept it as just another phenomenon. And on and on it goes, wonder after wonder never ceasing. Surely they must reason between themselves that being with me is a true adventure, perhaps wondering where it will all end. They trust!

So then, do dogs know how to trust? In some mysterious way they do. But then anyone giving them a dog biscuit earns their best friend label. Whatever is going on inside their cranium tells them that being with people is okay and safe. They keep it simple. They live in the moment. They trust.

The same idea holds true for you and me. Wherever God leads on the pathway of life, we are beseeched to trust Him (Proverbs 16:9). About trust Trillia Newbell pens:

If God is for you, who can be against you? We don't trust God simply because someone tells us to. We trust God because he is God. He is holy and awesome and righteous in every way. We can trust God because we don't serve a God who is only sovereign and wise. He is also infinitely loving. (Source)

The Apostle Paul is right to admonish believers to avoid being led away from the simplicity that is in Christ Jesus. Trust is childlike. Sometimes we just need to keep it simple. About keeping it simple, Mandy Hale summarizes this article perfectly by writing, "The more you go with the flow of life and surrender the outcome to God, and the less you seek constant clarity, the more you will find that fabulous things start to show up in your life." (Source)

In concert with the previous, I've read Bible commentaries that are so deep and beyond the mind's eye the author misses the simplicity of Scripture. Of course, I am not suggesting we avoid delving into the deep truths of our faith. We need to know and apply the fundamentals of our faith whether simple or complex (2 Timothy 3:15-16).

In closing, we don't always need to understand everything about what God is doing. We don't always need to know where God is taking us; nor do we need to understand all the sights and sounds passing by the window on life. The Lord Jesus abides within and that should be good enough to trust the ride He's giving us will be good and end well (Romans 8:28).

Image Credit: Unsplash; untitled; Creative Commons

Tags: Biblical-Truth | Christian-Life | God-Father

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Published 1-31-17