Tis so Sweet

The week of Christmas was a little rough for me. I had been sick for over a week, and it didn't feel like I was going to be back to normal anytime soon. I was a little stressed and worried, and I knew that my perspective needed to change. God began speaking to me through Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, which is a daily devotional written from the perspective of Jesus talking to you and me.

God wants me to trust Him, in everything. Three days in a row God reminded me, through Jesus Calling, to trust Him.

"How much better it is to walk close to Me, depending on My strength and trusting Me in every situation." -Jesus (Young, 378)

"I am your Refuge and Strength, an ever-present Help in trouble. Therefore, you don't need to be afraid of anything." -Jesus (Young, 379)

"Trust Me with every fiber of your being!" -Jesus (Young, 380)

Jesus is calling out to me, saying "Trust Me, Jenna. I love you." 
"Trust Me, Jenna. I am your Refuge." 
"Trust Me, Jenna. I am your Strength."

He's calling out to you, too!

It's really easy to say that you trust the Lord, but it's another thing when you must trust Him actively.

A few days after Christmas, I flew from Chicago to New Orleans. I'll be honest, flying scares me and I tend to be stressed/worried about it. This time, however, I knew that Jesus was telling me (and had been preparing me the week beforehand for it), "Trust Me, Jenna with this situation. Give your fear to Me. Trust Me, my dear child."

Once I was sitting on the plane waiting for the takeoff, I started thinking that it would be nice and I'd feel a lot better if my boyfriend was with me. If I could just sit next to him and hold his hand, I'd feel safe. Then God whispered to me, "Aren't I enough? I'm with you, always. Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you. Sit with Me, my child. Hold My hand." (Joshua 1:9, Psalm 73:23) So I did.

Then God brought the song "Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus" into my mind,  so that it replayed over and over and over again in my head during the flight. For one of the first times in my adult life, I truly felt that I chose to trust God instead of my fear. And God met me where I was and filled me with His peace and joy. He sat with me and held my hand. This might seem trivial, because it was just a flight, but it was a big deal to me and a big step of faith for me. God meets us where we are, and cares about the things going on in our lives. For me last week, it was flying. For one of the first times in my life, I wasn't filled with fear while flying. I was filled with God's peace.

Trust is hard. It is a battle that must be fought daily. I hope from this day forward that I will ACTIVELY trust God with every ounce of me.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding." Proverbs 3:5

Don't lean on your understanding, or on your fears. Trust is a decision. A daily, hour-by-hour decision. It means giving your fears to God, instead of holding on to them. But it is worth the effort. Choose trust.

Walk through each day holding onto God's hand, whispering "Jesus, I trust You."

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart."

"When I am afraid,
I put my trust in You.
In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?" Psalm 56:3-4