Todays devotional is written by Aliseea P. Cromer
“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.” – Proverbs 3:5-6
A few years ago, I went roller-skating for the first time since I was little, and it wasn’t exactly how I thought it was going to be.
Unrealistically, I thought that once I put on the skates and stood from the bench that I would be a pro at it. Realistically, I knew I’d be lucky if I didn’t recap Easter five years ago and go to the ER.
Besides the fact that my feet came out from beneath me and ran over my sister’s toes as I tried to stand, I did an excellent job. In an hour, I learned how to walk on the quads and how to glide across the carpet…with the help of either the concrete wall or the hands of my kind and patient father. The only thing that was hard for me was when my parents said I was ready to go on the rink. I refused. I had a hard time trying to skate on the carpet and knew I would probably struggle even more skating on the smooth, wooden surface of the rink.
I found it hard to trust my father, the wall, and my own feet from keeping me from crashing down. It took a lot of coaxing on my parent’s end, and a little bit of encouragement from a five-year-old girl to get me to step out on the rink and go around once.
All that time I took to argue with my parents about going on the rink, I could’ve been gliding across the floor and probably figured out how to skate on my own. But I was too afraid to step out and trust that I wasn’t going to fall—that my father wouldn’t let that happen. Half because he didn’t want to fall himself, and half because he knew and trusted we wouldn’t fall.
Our walk with God can be like this. Sometimes you don’t have enough faith when He asks you to trust Him with something that’s about to happen. You can be too hesitant to grab hold of His hand and trust that whatever it is, it’s harmless and won’t cause destruction (Jeremiah 29:11).
It happens in most situations. You tell God you trust Him when you worry about it moments later. It occurs in a position that frightens you, and you whisper, “I trust You, Jesus,” as the fear kicks in. You tell God you trust Him, but sometimes you don’t mean it.
This happened to me as I was praying three days ago. I was seeking God’s guidance about going somewhere, handing everything over to Him and telling God I trusted Him. “I trust that if You want me to go to this God, that You have already provided a way and have protected me in this.” Then I go listing off a bunch of things I’m worried about and concerned about, something I handed over to God moments ago but took back as fear and doubt crept in. In the midst of all my rambling, a soft voice stops me. “Aliseea, why are you worrying about something you just handed over to Me? Don’t you trust Me?” “I do, Father, it’s just that—“ “No. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Trust Me.”
“Faith is being…certain of what you do not see.” Hebrews 11:1, NIV
There’s this devotional called Streams in the Desert that I enjoy reading in my mornings and on April 24, the author talks about the verse about. He then goes into talking about how genuine faith is like a letter you put in a mailbox. You let it go and trust that the mailman will take it, and deliver it where it needs to go. Then there’s distrust, clinging on to the letter and wondering why you never received a response when you never handed it over in the first place.
Genuine faith is letting go and trusting God with whatever it is you laid at His feet. It’s not just saying, “I trust You,” it’s a form of action and doing it.
“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this.” Psalm 37:5, NIV.
When you feel led to do something, you shouldn’t fight God with it. All that time you take arguing and running, God could’ve been using you. You also can’t keep telling God you trust Him and then worry about it. You need to say those words, hand the situation over to Him, and stand with faith that He is taking care of it, and has already gone before you and finished it. Today, hand whatever you’re holding onto over to God. Let Him take it, and put your faith into action.
What areas of your life do you need to let go and let God? How can you exercise your trust in God? Are there some areas in your life that you find it easy to trust God with, and others that you have a hard time letting go?
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Aliseea P. Cromer is a youth leader, a YouTuber, an aspiring author, and a firm believer in Christ. She was born and raised in a Christian home and spent her days as a little girl coming up with stories in her head and reading books. After years of hardships and trials, Aliseea found writing as her escape. While working on finding publication for a book she’d written that she thought would bring her fame and recognition, the wise words of her mother and conviction of the Holy Spirit revealed to her that this gift of writing came from God. She decided to use her gift to bring honor and glory to Him and put aside that book to start writing the story that God placed on her heart. It hasn’t been a short and easy journey, but she trusts that God has called her to be a writer, and when it’s time for her book to see the light of publication, it will happen according to His will. When Aliseea isn’t writing, she spends quality time with her family by playing games, watching a movie, or having family worship nights with their dog Gracee resting by her mother’s side. Follow her on Instagram, and subscribe to her YouTube channel She Laughs.