Trusting in God

Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God” (John 14,1, NIV). The words of Jesus are simple, yet direct: Trust in God! As simple as these words are, there are many Christians today who struggle with actually putting them into practice. I’m sure that there are many reasons for this, but one thing is clear: We will never progress in our life with Christ unless we learn to trust the Lord completely.

In the book he co-authored entitled Faith is the Answer, Norman Vincent Peale told the deeply moving story of a sea Captain whose ship was lost during the bombing of Rotterdam, Holland in the Second World War. It was May of 1940, and while his ship was docked and he was out of the country, the Germans bombed the city leaving it in ruins, but more tragically, he had lost contact with his wife and child whom he had left behind. Repeated attempts to reach them failed, and he was left as a visitor in the United States feeling crushed with the weight of anguish and sorrow. Dr. Peale and his wife had invited this Sea Captain, George Barendse, to their home for lunch, and as he tells it, the Captain asked to pray over the meal. Talking almost to himself as though alone, with courage and a noble spirit, he prayed:

“God help me not to hate…give guidance in thought, in speech, and action to those who rule over the countries in war and…may your will be done and…your kingdom come. God watch over my wife and boy. Before my wife was mine she belonged to you, Lord; before my little boy came to me he was yours, Father. They are in your hands. I trust you. May your will be done.”

Dr. Peale said that he and his wife sat awestruck in the presence of such a great Christian who, undaunted amid the ruins of his life, was able to raise his voice in simple, yet earnest prayer, and declare that his hope, his faith, indeed his trust, was in God. His clear affirmation was that no matter what happened, he would hold onto God’s great hand, believing that His will would be accomplished. Here again we hear the words of Jesus: "Trust in God."