Choose to Trust

Devotional Reading: As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Luke 19:37‭-‬38 ESV

It’s difficult to recognize hope when it doesn’t come in the way that we would expect. In this passage, as Jesus makes His entry into Jerusalem, we see people rejoicing because they think that hope has come. They expected Jesus to enter the city as a conquering King, but Jesus knew that He was on a road that would lead Him to death on the cross. The people had misdiagnosed the entry into the city as hope when, really, hope would be found in His death.

We can be disappointed in God because of our expectations of what He should be doing or the timeline in which He should be working. God’s plan is a process and has to be approached with trust and patience. So the question becomes, “How do I have hope in trouble?”

If you are listening to the wrong voices, you will have difficulty recognizing God during times of trouble. The voice that we need to be anchored in is the word of God. The Bible is our bedrock and what we should be leaning on during the storms of life. Get around faith-filled people that will remind you God’s not done until your story is good!

The Bible says that God’s ways are not our ways. God is always right on time, even when it feels like He might be late. Have you ever looked back at God’s timing and thought, “wow, that was perfect”? We need to learn to trust that God knows what He’s doing.

It’s easy to worship God when things are going well, but can you praise Him when things look bad? The tendency is to withdraw from God, His people, and His word when we are facing difficult times. I want to encourage you to lean in when you feel uncertainty; lean into His people and to His Word.

Prayer and Confession
In times of difficulty, I choose to trust God and depend on Him. I choose worship instead of worry in Jesus name. Amen!

Further Reading: Psalm 55:22