Trusting God

When I was diagnosed with cancer nearly five years ago, I felt led by God to fight it naturally. The leading came as we prayed and researched and as medical professionals at a big city hospital, who billed themselves as "the best," kept dropping the ball so to speak. So I started on the protocol that Sean and I felt led to pursue. I instantly felt better than I had in years. I wasn't without doubt and fear, however. Many times I would pray and ask God for confirmation that this was the right path. Every time I prayed that prayer I felt reassured by Him through a Bible passage or a song. Many times there were multiple reassurances. Ten months after my initial diagnosis I had a follow-up MRI. There was some slight growth of the cancer which made us and others wonder if I should continue on the natural path. I spent the night after receiving these results searching the Bible and praying. One of the verses that really spoke to me that night was Psalm 118:8, "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans." I knew I needed to stay the course, trusting God for the outcome. He also reminded me through the two devotions that I read the next morning that He is the calmer of the wind and the waves. He is all-powerful. There have been ups and downs, but God has been faithful through it all. Sometimes I take my eyes off Him and start relying on my own strength and understanding. I am reminded of the many times that God's people should have trusted Him but instead trusted in man. One example is King Asa. Asa was king of Judah after Israel and Judah had divided into two separate kingdoms. His story is found in 2 Chronicles chapters 14-16. Asa started well. He "did what was good and right in the eyes of God," taking away the foreign idols and commanding his people to seek and obey God. Asa had an army of 580,000 men with shields, spears and bows. Verse nine states that Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with a million men and 300 chariots. Asa cried to God, "O Lord, there is none like You to help, between the mighty and the weak." It doesn't say how, but the story goes on to state that the Lord defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and they fled. There are many accounts in the Old Testament of God defeating the enemies of His people without the people even needing to fight. They simply had to trust and obey. For many years after the aforementioned victory, there was rest for Asa's kingdom. In chapter 16, it says that Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah. Instead of seeking God, Asa made a covenant with the king of Syria, something that was expressly forbidden by God. This alliance did result in turning back the Israelites, however Asa was rebuked and there was no more peace in his reign. Don't we often do that too? Not that we are fighting earthly armies, but we are fighting the enemy of our souls. When we are tempted and tried, sometimes we trust wholeheartedly in God and see great victories. Then another trial comes and we look to ourselves or to some earthly wisdom for the answer. Not that we aren't to use our brains or to involve others, but the first place we need to go is to God. We need to seek His direction and then we need to follow it. Is the direction you receive going to be the same as mine? Not necessarily. That's why each of us needs to have a thriving relationship with God. The book of Hebrews talks about running the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus. Each of us has our on race to run, our own battles to fight. There are two stories in 2 Samuel 5:17-25 in which the Philistines came out against King David. Both times David inquired of God. God gave him different instructions for each battle. What if David had just decided to use the same plan instead of seeking God the second time? If God led David two different ways against the same army, I think we can expect that He may lead us in different ways than each other. Obviously he won't lead us to do something that is contrary to His word. Proverbs 3:5,6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight." Isaiah 55:6-9 states, "Seek the Lord while he may be found;call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts.Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.'For my thoughts are not your thoughts,neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.'" Wherever you are today, in a time of trial or a time of peace, seek the Lord. Trust Him to show you the way and then continue to seek and to trust. I quoted from Psalm 118 at the beginning of this post. The first and last verses of the Psalm are the same, "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever."