Put your trust in the Lord

Nothing quenches the peace and joy of life faster than problems, finances, health, strife or problems in relationships. Our faith wanes while depression and frustration disturbs our lives.

I believe the following five steps will help us find peace and joy in hard times:

1. Trust in the Lord. Take this verse literally. Give everything to the Lord. Read Proverbs 3:5-6. Let’s not try to be the managers like I try to do sometimes. I don’t understand a situation, and there is no way I can help it, anyway. I must give the problem to God and lean on him for handling the situation.

2. Delight yourself in the Lord. This means we must read the Word and delight in it. Read Psalm 37:4. Thank the Lord for saving you, freeing you, forgiving you and answering prayers. Thank him for his plan for your life.

3. Commit Your Way to the Lord. Commit your way to God’s way. You will find peace. Read 2 Timothy 1:12. Give your problem to God.

4. Rest in the Lord. Many people fight and struggle in their daily lives. Read Matthew 11:28. What a shame we wear ourselves out before we finally let go and let God have it. We not only stress ourselves out mentally but physically, too. That leaves an open door for the Enemy to come in with disease and illness. When anxious, tormenting thoughts try to return, resist them and boldly declare, “I am resting in you, O God. Thank you, Lord, for giving me sweet rest.”

5. Wait on the Lord. Waiting on the Lord is the hardest part, but it sums up all of the most important segments of a believer’s life. Read Psalm 37:34. Wait on him. It is a maturing experience, and the Lord works out our difficulties. I call this time the “Faith Rest” of life. It means following the Lord and his word. Trust in him. Sit back and rest while he works things out. Resolve in your heart to wait on him.

Let’s have faith like a little child I heard about. She was crossing the Atlantic for the first time on an airliner on which her father was the pilot. During the night, the plane hit some turbulence. The stewardess awakened the little girl and told her to fasten her seat belt because of the bad storm they were going through.

The little girl opened her eyes and saw the lightning flashing around the plane.

She looked at the stewardess and asked, “Is my daddy at the controls?” The stewardess said, “Yes, your father is in the cockpit.” The little girl smiled, closed her eyes and dropped peacefully back to sleep.

That is what I want to do … to put God in full control of my life, and if God is piloting my life, I will have peace and joy in the midst of the storm. I will have strength and peace instead of anxiety and worry.

Trust, delight, commit, rest, wait.

It keeps each day of our life straight

Trust in God and you will see

Through it all comes victory.

So keep the faith, his laws obey.

And you will find much joy each day.