Has anyone ever asked you an out-of-nowhere, didn’t-see-that-coming kind of question?
A BIG Question: “Do you want to drive?”
I was a weary 14-year-old passenger in a brown Volvo on Highway 90, roughly 15 miles east of Rochester, MN. We were nearing the end of a 1,100-mile trip when the unnamed driver dropped the verbal broadside.
The question transformed a mundane trip into a passport-to-manhood, right-of-passage-type experience.
This was not a 4 -door sedan mind you. This was a tractor trailer with a GVW (gross vehicle weight) of 80,000 lbs! Seconds later, the driver became the passenger, and I held the reigns to more than 400 horses that powered the most elegant of all machines on 18 wheels – at least that’s how I remembered it.
As overwhelmingly large as that question was to 14-year-old me, another question grips me far more.
The BIGGEST Question: “Do you trust me?”
When God dangles that question at the intersection of a big decision, be prepared for a bumpy road! Everything you thought was secure is about to get shaken.
For those who dare to veer off-grid and find themselves hopelessly lost with no reference points, you quickly begin to wonder, “God, are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
Solomon commands us to “trust in the Lord with all our heart” (Proverbs 3:5).
Easy to quote; exceedingly hard to live.
Sometimes God pulls us over the tipping point through circumstances outside our control.
- A cancer diagnosis
- An unplanned pregnancy
- The tragic death of a spouse
At other times, He waits, with extended hand and gentle smile, to see if we’ll take the leap on our own power.
- A move
- A career transition
- An engagement: “Will you marry me?”
The Biggest ISSUE: Trust in the Lord
I believe Proverbs 3:5 to be the singular fulcrum tilting an ordinary life into an extraordinary one.
Extraordinary is always on the other side of safe.
Many come right up to the pivot point only to creep back toward the known and safe – never to realize the out-of-this-world, blow-your-mind blessings that flow from simple, child-like trust.
It takes mettle and a steadfast spirit to drive through the fog that occasionally follows courageous obedience. It’s disorienting. But it’s also exhilarating!
I’m reminded Psalm 84:11, “No good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless!” Such a great promise!
Maybe you are in a season requiring unusual trust in God. Whether by force of nature or by your own choosing, hang in there.
Don’t let emotions of fear or insecurity dominate your head space. Instead, flood your mind with God’s everlasting truth. God is good. He’s using your circumstances to refine your character.
And cling to Jesus like your life depends upon it.
Because it does.
Written by Brian Hershey, Development Director, YFC Military
