First, Not Finally
Far too often I hear variations of this statement: “I’ve tried everything I know to do, and nothing is working, so now I’ll give it to God ( or now I just have to trust God ).” When bad news comes, we are presented with a choice. We can give it to God first, with a heart full of trust; or we can give it everything we have in our own strength first and eventually, after multiple failed efforts, give it to God. This important choice to trust doesn’t mean everything suddenly turns to sunshine and roses. Circumstances do not instantly resolve themselves and fall perfectly into place. That’s not how it works. Instead, we find that our choice to trust God will bring a presence of peace we didn’t have before. This is the kind of peace we read about in Isaiah 26:3 : You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. When I follow the pattern of first instead of finally , I am comforted. I know God is in control, and trusting Him allows me to app
