By: Anthony Martin
Of all the things in my Christian journey, the
one that has been the most difficult is trusting God. I have no problem trusting His
character; it is placing my trust in His providence that has been my
challenge from time to time. There are moments when I find myself in a struggle between my ability and God's
ability. Sometimes it is difficult to reconcile in my mind that God is working and moving on my behalf. Are you one of those men
who say within themselves, "I have to make it happen because no one else is going to do it for me"? Well, you are
in good company. As men we are hard-wired with a
"drivers" mentality. We want to be in control. We want to take the
lead over our own lives. A man and his wife both walk to the car, and if you notice; the man automatically goes to the driver's side. We
want to drive, take the lead, and be in
control. The only thing is—so does God.
This is where we have the choice to either challenge
His position or submit to it. It's one thing
to acknowledge God in our lives; but it is another thing entirely to allow Him to lead us. We trust that God is who He says He is. We don't question it. However, when He tells us to trust in Him with all
of our hearts, and lean not to our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5), it can really be challenging, especially when we have
relied on our way of viewing and approaching matters.
Trusting God has been a struggle for most Christian men, who find it
difficult allowing God to lead and drive. The
key to overcoming this is daily interaction with God in prayer and in the study of
His Word. This is a discipline that will yield tremendous results. His words
will speak to your mind and feed your thoughts. His Words will gradually replace
self-reliant attitudes and behaviors. Before
long, what was difficult will become
a way of life.
