“Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.” (Genesis 18:32-33 ESV)
Abraham had spent a considerable amount of time with God, leading up to this pivotal moment. He had entertained the Lord and 2 angels, serving them a huge meal. The Lord had reiterated His promises to the host and hostess regarding their son, who was to be born within a year. Then the Lord confided in Abraham about the mission at Sodom and Gomorrah, allowing him to plead with Him on behalf of the people living in that doomed area. Then God walked away…
Now it was time to simply trust.
Trust? How does one “trust”?
Well, for starters…
Find a chair, any chair, and sit in it.
Okay?
Ask yourself, “how much am I trusting in this chair?”
Did you feel the need to get the chair’s “performance documents” before placing your body in its care? How well do you really know the chair? Have you considered its outlandish promise to support you for as long as you trust, and stay seated?
Next, get up and turn on your television set. Any channel will do.
Done?
Before you pushed the remote button, did you, first, kneel and pray? Did you ask the neighborhood technician to check all the circuits and test all the components before pushing the button? Or did you just expect it to come on?
People exercise trust daily. Many times a day. Common, everyday actions are examples of trust. Driving a car, riding an elevator, flying in an airplane, turning on the kitchen tap…
We trust even though we may not understand how things work. We trust, though our eyes don’t see the answer.
God can be trusted.
Though you may not feel Him near, and life seems to contradict all He has promised,
God can be trusted.
When you’ve done all you can do, said all you know to say, it’s time to trust.
Maybe this is where you find yourself today. You’ve run out of ideas, paced the floor and cried until your voice, your tears, are gone. Though you’d been sensing the Lord’s Presence, now it seems you’re all alone.
It’s time to trust. For though the Lord may “walk away”, He’ll never withdraw His covenantal promises.
It’s time to trust.
Jan Grace 