They say worrying is like a rocking chair — it gets you nowhere. But trust is a rocking chair too. I know, because I sat in one the other night.
When you open to the same set of Psalms week after week, you may want to peer in and listen for the whisper.
I have trusted in the LORD without wavering. (Ps 26:1)
The winds of change, the uncertain, the fearsome moments come, but His Word is sure:
The Lord is the stronghold of my life — of whom should I be afraid? (Ps 27:1)
Life shifts. The thing we think we can rely on is no longer reliable. The one thing we want comes with no promise that we will get it. The sky becomes a question mark. I become the question mark. My face gets furrowed with lines.
But I sit and rock.
The one who trusts sits in the rocking chair. And then steps out to stand on a rock she cannot see.
As the sun sprays gold on the horizon, I watch Samuel, the young one, splashing in the pool. My husband, the hunter, mows the lawn, perfect lines back and forth, hunting for solutions.
Though an army deploy against me, my heart is not afraid; though war break out against me, still I am confident. (Ps 27:3)
I refuse to let the enemy steal the joy of this moment: our little boy splashing waves, Daddy chasing him, water bombing the pool. We all laugh.
When you choose thanks in the moment, when you pick joy and rock in it, you chase the snake away.
That snake lurks to steal your thanks, yes, even for this moment, the one when you are pressed in the vise.
Can you trust the One who loves you so much that He is using the discomfort of this moment to show His faithfulness to you? Can you trust that He is transforming you into a vessel more deeply valuable for His purpose?
Your rocking chair laughter in the hardest moments of your life sounds ridiculously lovely in the world’s ears.
This moment assures us that we can receive all as a gift, even the hard; we can utter thanks as Christ did while knowing the agony of the cross. We can smile at the days to come in a defiant stance of confidence: and when we do, we defy the enemy.
He showed up that night, in the flesh: a big, thick green snake slithering right there, right at the baby boy’s starting line for his race to the pool, right there in the garden of our yard, where the boy’s feet stood. The hunter called, ran, got the shovel, and hacked away at him till he pinned him good. Those stubborn beasts keep trying to steal our inheritance in the kingdom, and man, Satan is stubborn.
But we must get up out of the chair and stand more stubborn than he.
[pullquote]I am certain that I will see the LORD’S goodness in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be courageous and let you heart be strong. Wait for the LORD. (Ps 27:13-14) [/pullquote]
Can you trust, really trust? Can I? To trust is to linger long in the rocking chair of faith, to count graces, to capture laughter, and to methodically, with confidence, hack the enemy to pieces with your love. Then, it is to get up and stand confident on the rock you cannot see.
Let’s trust today!
About the Author: Jennifer
