Do I Trust You, Lord?

by Marsha Loftis

This Week’s Verse: John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Devotion:
If you haven’t heard about the “stuff” going on at TRW then you must live in a cave just outside of town. It might even be next door to mine. That’s where I usually am. In my cave, safe, protected, “in the dark” sometimes, but I do love my cave! Since I’ve worked thirds or the overnight shift a lot of my life I’ve grown used to the cave and even fond of it. Most of the time it’s just me and my daughter here. I kinda like that part. One of these days she will want to exit the cave, I know, but for right now, she likes being here with me as much as I like being here with her.

Last week I found out my shift would be "dissolved". Which, when translated to ‘cave-talk’ means: “Uh-oh.” So, I did the three things I always do: #1) I freaked out; #2) I prayed; and #3) I called my mom. (These aren’t always in the same order. The line-up varies with every situation. And yes, they can overlap one another, and often do.)

During “Freak Out” Mode, I called my mom. I had to leave her a message. Not always a good thing while I’m in this ‘mode’. I forgot to tell her that I had a chance at another position on another shift. Whoopsy! My bad! She picked up my daughter and told her what she thought was going on… I was losing my job. Then, being from the same cave, my daughter naturally went into “freak out” mode too.

We were both still in the same mode when I finally got the chance to talk to her and get things straightened out. I found myself comforting my daughter by saying things like, “You don’t have to worry about this…It’s going to be okay…You’re going to be fine…I love you and I’m gonna take care of you.” I was thinking ‘parental’ and it seemed natural.

Then I heard my favorite still small voice saying to me, “You don’t have to worry about this, it’s going to be okay, you’re going to be fine, I love you and I’m gonna take care of you. You call me ‘Father’ every day; why won’t you let me ‘parent’ you?”

Whoa! Talk about freaking out! It wasn’t exactly audible, but I clearly knew who was speaking to me and what I supposed to do. Trust Him. Then I prayed. I prayed first for forgiveness for not praying in the first place. Then I prayed to accept the comfort He, My Father, was offering me.

I kept thinking My peace I leave with you over and over again. That was all I could remember, but it was enough to get me through ‘til I could get to my Bible and look it up. It’s from John 14:27 and that’s not the only thing it says. It reads, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Later on, in the next paragraph it says, “…so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.”

Whoa. I take that to mean: NOW, not only can I NOT freak out, but I better not let anyone else see me freaking out! So that the world, or cave translation, The People I Work With, know that I love God and I trust Him. Oh, and my daughter too!

To make a short story long… When times are tough we are to be a witness to those around us. The ones far away and the ones so very close. My human-ness wants to sit around and cry and say “Uh-oh” and run around like a chicken with my head cut off thinking now what am I gonna do? My one-ness with the Holy Spirit wants me to fall on my face and say “I trust you” because I know that His peace is with me.

Father, let me always come to you first. Help me to put my trust and faith in You and You alone. Help me to filter out all the other voices in my head and concentrate on only the still small One. Your peace is with me now and forever. Help me to accept the gifts and promises You willingly give. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Application:
It’s okay to spend a little time in “the cave,” but when you come out remember: The world is watching. What will they see?

Power Verses:
2 Samuel 22:30-32, “As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried. He is a Shield to all those to take refuge and trust in Him.” (AMP)
Jeremiah 29:11, “I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out--plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” (MSG)
Psalm 9:10, “Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.” (NIV)