God’s School of Trust

Whether we wanted to enroll or not, every follower of Christ is a student in this prestigious school.
We became students of trust the moment we confessed Jesus as Lord. What many of us didn’t realize was how the Holy Spirit would keep signing us up for advanced classes. He keeps presenting us with new opportunities to learn and to grow. No slackers!

When Israel met the opportunity to advance in trust, I’m afraid that’s exactly what they did. They slacked. And it was their lack of trust that landed them as prisoners in a foreign land. As a nation they had compromised their allegiance to God by diluting their trust with idols. They soon lost their sensitivity for God’s goodness. Now, they sat by the rivers of Babylon and wept when they remembered what they lost.

I’m not begrudging their grief. I’d cry, too. It’s calloused to look at the suffering and pain surrounding us and not grieve. And it’s tempting, like Israel, to focus on revenge toward our enemies (Psalm 137:8-9). But bitterness and calls for revenge only increase our despair. The choice to trust God leads us out of our grief and restores our hope.

I recently learned a new word: opsimath. It refers to a person who began to learn or study late in life. In the confines of Babylon, God was giving Israel a new opportunity to become opsimaths in the field of trust. Maybe he is doing the same for us. Will we choose to open ourselves to learning new ways to trust God or will we stubbornly cling to our disappointments?

Some day we will all graduate. May it be with the high distinction as summa cum laudes of trust.

Father, forgive us when we resist growing in trust. Help us see every challenge you bring our way as opportunities to know, love, and trust you more.

Throughout the Day: Intentionally take any disappointments you are facing today and choose to trust God to see you through to the other side.