Here is an excerpt from a chapter on trust, from my book found at Delightbiblestudy.wordpress.com. There are a lot of things I am trying to handle on my own right now. This unit is a good reminder that life is a dance. I have been invited to trust Jesus and follow His lead, but sometimes, I prance around the dance floor on my own instead. Proverbs 3 is always an important reminder to let go, let God….
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Proverbs 3:5-8 says“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.It will be healing to your body
And refreshment to your bones.”…….
From pastor and author J.D Greear’s perspective, a woman who trusts in herself is like a person who believes a chair can hold her weight, but she never sits down. She’ll stand next to the chair, praising it, but relies on her own tired legs to hold her up.
You might appreciate Jesus for inviting you to dance. You could tell Him how wonderful He is, sing songs about his love, study the “dance,” but never take His hand and twirl in His arms.
So many girls agree: the dance is beautiful and exciting. But there are many ladies, dressed in their finest ball gowns, dancing without a partner, awkward and alone.
Sarai was a self-trusting woman. In Genesis 15:4-6, Abram, Sarai’s husband, encounters God, who promises Abram to have many descendants. Genesis 16:1-4 explains how Sarai doubted her ability to produce these descendants, so she asks her husband to sleep with her maid, Hagar. Hagar’s baby brought much pain and fighting between Sarai and Hagar. Later, the Lord promises a baby to come specifically through Sarai (whose name was then changed to Sarah) when she was 90 years old (Genesis 17:15-19). This promise was repeated again in Genesis 18:9-15; this time, Sarah laughed at the thought of having a baby. Her journey was so bitter, so misguided when it came to trusting God; why would He use her now? Finally, in Genesis 21:1-7, we read of the blessed day that God gave Sarah her son, Isaac.
God had invited Sarah to trust Him, to take part in His plan to make a great nation. Unfortunately, Sarah chose not to trust God, and trusted her own ideas instead. Her plan, to give her maiden to her husband, was not something God had commanded. In the end, choosing to trust herself created chaos within her family.
A girl who trusts her own abilities and strength is volunteering for an awkward downfall.
Trusting self leads to the belief that sin is secret. This kind of girl chooses to “dance alone” so that no one will be close enough to see her faults, like her ugly shoes or clumsiness. Trying to live with self-confidence (instead of Christ-confidence) makes a girl so internal, she often isn’t aware of how her sin affects herself, or others: “You felt secure in your wickedness and said, ‘No one sees me.’ Your wisdom and your knowledge, they have deluded you; for you have said in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one besides me.’” Isaiah 47:10
Sarah believed this about herself. We can see it in her decision to take matters into her own hands. Remember the story about Hannah (Chapter 4: Integrity); she faced the same situation as a woman who could not bear children. Instead of trying to control the situation, she prayed. Weeping her concerns to God, Hannah joined in the dance, bringing every need into His arms, trusting in His plan.
Like Hannah, when we delight in the Lord, joining in the dance with Him, we discover just how trustworthy He is:
“Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord. Trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday.” (Psalm 37:1-4)
Thankfully, Sarah’s story also magnifies the faithfulness of God. No matter what Sarah did, God still chose to use her, and fulfill His promises to her. He never stopped inviting her to trust Him, to dance with Him.
Our God holds great promises for the woman who choses to trust Him, even when if feels easier to just “do it herself.”
- Are you looking for peace? Put aside the need for control and micro-management, remembering that God “will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in [Him].” (Isaiah 26:3)
- Do you feel hopeless? Stop relying on your own abilities “as you trust Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:13)
- Are there wounds and pain in the core of who you are? Trusting in the Lord brings healing to your bones (Proverbs 3:8a).
- Are you tired or exhausted? God promises His girl to be refreshed when she trusts in Him. (Proverbs 3:8b)
A girl who knows the trustworthiness of God, and the truth of His promises, finds it a simple decision to trust Him. She sees the silliness of her self-trust dancing alone, and joyfully leaps into His arms for the next jitter-bug swing.
……………. Read the full unit, “An Awkward Solo,” here.
In so many ways, I need to return to the simple wisdom of Proverbs. I can’t do it on my own…. “it” being everything: meeting expectations, reaching goals, checking off my to-do list, becoming a godly woman, serving my husband, ministry….
The truth is, I don’t “got this.” But God does. I love that I can rest in the assurance of that. And I can stop “killing myself” to be the savior of the world (Jesus already did that successfully).
(P.S.: I’m not even a mom yet! How do moms function in a world of uncertainty like motherhood, if I can’t even let go of control in my kid-less world?! Anyone care to comment?)