To build a relationship, love is not enough, we must also develop our trust in others. Since a Christian marriage is a three-stranded rope, we must also maintain our relationship with God: to love Him and also to trust Him.
We talk a lot about loving God in our churches. No wonder, it’s one of the commandments! But as in all relationships, love is not enough to create a strong bond between us and our Heavenly Father. Many Christians say they love God, but do not follow what the Word of God teaches. Are they liars, or are they missing only one ingredient essential to their relationship? Do they have trust?
At our 5th annual conference, we asked 2 participants (a man and a woman) to play a game. We gave each of them a deck of cards and asked them, one hand behind their back, to turn the cards one after the other until the woman found the king of hearts, and the man, the queen of hearts. Amused, they began to flip the cards, faster and faster, until the woman found the king of hearts. The man then accelerated his pace to also find his card: the queen of hearts.
This game taught us a lesson about our trust in God. First, the reason the two participants did not get discouraged while flipping the cards was that they were convinced that the person who told them to do so was not lying to them. They were convinced they could find what she had asked them to find. It’s the same with our search for a partner. If we are convinced that God has promised us a husband or a wife, we will not be discouraged when we draw a bad card! We will set it aside and continue to seek what God has promised us. It is when we doubt God that we become discouraged by a bad experience.
The game also taught us not to be jealous when our friends find their “good card” before us. If God has promised you a partner, and your friend finds one, that does not mean that there is no more for you! Everyone has their deck of cards, keep looking! Rejoice, on the contrary. “And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform (Romans 4:21 KJV).
Finally, the game has also shown us that we must keep our standards. When the woman turned a jack of heart, she did not stop saying “well close enough”. She also did not opt for a joker! She kept her eyes fixed on the promise and she did find her king of hearts. We must have the same attitude in our search and trust God that He will present us with a partner who is ideal for us.
How do we develop our trust in God? The same way we develop it with all other people: by knowledge and experience. The more we study the Word of God, the more we learn about Him. We can also learn about Him by listening to the experiences of others and even by experiencing God’s faithfulness ourselves in different circumstances of our lives. It is by spending time with Him that we get to know Him and realize that we can trust Him. “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19 KJV)
The challenge for many Christians is to approach God with confidence. They want to spend time with Him, but they do not feel worthy to do so. It is the enemy who makes them believe that their sins make them hideous before God or that their heavenly Father will consume them if they come near Him. The truth is that we can approach God with respect, but without fear through the blood of Jesus. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16 KJV).
God does not want to punish you, your sins are already hurting you enough! God has sent His only begotten Son to die an agonizing death to erase your sins and give you new life. That’s why it’s called the throne of GRACE. It is there when we ask for God’s forgiveness and receive His mercy, that our needs are met. Let us then approach God with trust, because He has our good at heart and wants to lead us in the direction of His blessings. “I worship at your holy temple and praise you for your love and your faithfulness. You were true to your word and made yourself more famous than ever before” (Psalms 138:2 CEV).