Cultivating trust in God

  Don't you wish trust in God could be stockpiled for a rainy day? I mean, why can't the Lord of the universe toss a couple Crusty-Trust Biscuits our way now and then and make this faith-thing less of a struggle? When your weary spirit needs a little nourishment, you simply grab a few off the shelf and get on with your day. Doesn't that sound easier than getting pushed into that place where there is no other way to look but up?

  I don't know about you but I'm finding that God often asks us to trust Him when the task outweighs us, the destination is uncertain and we feel the most insignificant. It is only with hindsight that we glance at our life from His perspective. Only on our knees in the dark soil of unexpected circumstance, when there is no other way to look but up, can we begin to say: "Lord, I know you were with me in the past, so how can I not trust You with my unknown future."

  If you find it hard to trust that God knows what He's up to in your life, you're in good company. We all feel that way, especially when we are on hard ground. May this tale of the ant encourage you to continue the struggle of cultivating trust.
© 1999 by Kari West

The Ant and Contact Lens
Reported to be a true story from Josh and Karen Zarandona
Submitted by Judy in Ontario, Canada

  Brenda was a young woman who wanted to learn rock climbing. Although she was scared to death, she went with a group and together they faced this tremendous cliff of rock. In spite of her fear, Brenda put on the gear, took a hold of the rope and started up the face of that rock.

  Brenda climbed to a ledge where she could take a breather. As she was hanging there, whoever was holding the rope up at the top of the cliff made a mistake and snapped the rope against Brenda's eye which knocked out her contact lens. You know how tiny contact lenses are and how almost impossible to find.

  Well, here she is on a rock ledge, with who knows how many hundreds of feet behind and hundreds of feet above her. Of course, she looked and looked and looked, hoping that she would be able to find that contact lens. Brenda's sight was now blurry. She was very upset by the fact that she wouldn't be anywhere near a place where she could get a new contact lens. So she prayed that the Lord would help her to find it.

  Brenda's last hope was that when she got to the top of the cliff, one of the girls who was up on the top might be able to spot her contact lens in the corner of her eye. Once at the top, her eye was examined by a friend. There was no contact lens to be found.

  Brenda sat down and waited for the rest of the group to climb up the face of the cliff. She looked out across range after range of mountains, thinking of that Bible verse that says, "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth." She thought, "Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every single stone and leaf that's on those mountains and You know exactly where my contact lens is."

  Finally, when the time came to leave, the group walked down the trail to the bottom. As they got there, there was a new party of rock climbers coming along. As one of them started up the face of the cliff, she shouted out, "Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?"

  What was lost had been found. But do you know why? An ant was carrying that contact lens. It was inching ever so slowly across the steep face of the rock.

  What does that tell you about the God of the universe? Do ants matter to Him? Of course they do. He made them. He designed them.

  Our God is in charge of the tiniest things. Solomon was right. We can learn a big lesson from a little ant: TRUST IN GOD. If God is in charge of the ants, don't you think He cares about you and me?

  Brenda says that her father is a cartoonist. When she told him this incredible story, he drew a picture of that ant lugging a contact lens with the words: "LORD, I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU WANT ME TO CARRY THIS THING. I CAN'T EAT IT AND IT'S AWFULLY HEAVY. BUT IF THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT ME TO DO, I'LL CARRY IT FOR YOU."

  They say that God doesn't call the qualified; He qualifies the called.

Verses and quotes on trust

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him and I am helped.
--Psalm 28:7

To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved.
-George MacDonald

But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, "You are my God." My times are in your hands...
--Psalm 31:14-15

Trust in God, and keep your powder dry.
--Cromwell

When I am afraid, I will put my confidence in you. Yes, I will trust the promises of God. And since I am trusting him, what can mere man do to me?"
--Psalms 56:3-4