Devotional 12-12-09

Isaiah 12:2 says, “God is my savior; I will trust him and not be afraid. The Lord gives me power and strength; he is my savior.”

Since our wedding five years ago, I have thought from time to time about the fact that I was a bit of a “bridezilla.” I did a lot of work myself, because I wanted it all to be done exactly my way. I coordinated the reception, made the place cards, and even typed instructions for the caterer on how to arrange the centerpieces (since I couldn’t be there during the wedding to do it myself). I bet that the week after our wedding, not one of our guests would have been able to describe the place cards or the centerpieces. For some ridiculous reason, though, I felt the need to have total control so everything was absolutely perfect. Why didn’t I just let go of a few things and allow my loved ones to help me?

You might be able to think of something in your life with which you wouldn’t trust anyone else. I’d also guess that I’m not alone in that I tend to rely on myself to resolve everyday problems. In the same way that I wanted total control over those wedding arrangements, I often try too hard to have control over my life. If we can’t trust God for the small stuff, how will we ever feel comfortable with Him handling our real crises? Allowing someone else to handle the place cards and centerpieces would have been an exercise of my trust in others. Similarly, I should try harder to have faith that everyday situations will find resolution according to God’s plan. I propose that we as Christians begin a self-improvement process by starting small. If we practice putting our trust in God for more common problems, it might become a “good habit of the spirit.” When we have this good habit in times of prosperity, it will be so much easier to approach greater challenges with trust in Him and without fear.

We Christians frequently think of Jesus Christ as our savior from sin, but we need to remember God is also a savior during adversity. Has someone ever done you a favor to “save you the trouble” of wasting your own time or energy? This is why I think the scripture above describes God as “my savior” twice. Rather than drawing on our own energies and ability to solve our problems –especially the greatest challenges—We need to get our strength from God. It would be impossible to count the number of times that He has helped any one of us, but how many of us actually begin the battle by asking for His help? My trust in God frequently comes into play much later than it should, which often proves to be an effort in vain. If we sincerely allow God to be a savior, He can “save us the trouble” of trying to walk in a direction that wasn’t meant for us.

Natalie Wray