Psalm 115: 11 “You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.”
I’ve recently noticed a significant change in my life. When things don’t work out the way I expected, it doesn’t bother me as much as it used to. Disappointments don’t hang on me like they have in the past. The Lord’s patience with me in my tendency to worry rather than trust seems to be paying off. He is teaching me to “roll with the punches,” to turn disturbing situations over to him rather than trying to work them out myself.
When the psalmist exhorted the Israelites to trust the Lord in Psalm 115, he urged them at the same time to steer clear of idols. He said we become like what we trust, so if we trust in anything or anyone more than God, our lives inevitably become stunted.
So how do we learn to trust God and roll with the punches?
We have to first deal with our idols. Idols, even those whose makeup have an uncanny resemblance to ourselves, will always betray us. You know the kind of idols I mean—success, acceptance, money, good works. We have to knock ‘em out before they strike us with a fatal blow. Dodge the temptation, as it says in Psalm 146, to put our trust in mere human beings who have no more power to save than the fictitious Justice League (v. 3). Remember how God has promised to be our help and shield? He can protect us against anything the world, our flesh or devils hurl against us. When our trust is transferred from idols to God, we’re ready to roll with the punches.
The God who created me and who knows me better than I know myself is worthy of my trust. The God who authors love, forgiveness and redemption is worthy of my trust. The God who has a plan that exceeds my disappointments and extends beyond my expectations is training me to see life a little more through his eyes.
He will do the same for you. Friend, find rest in trusting God. Let him help you learn to roll with the punches launched at you from a fallen world. He’s got you covered. If you let him.