Me or God?

Everyone puts their trust in someone.   The most common expression of this is to put your trust in yourself.  We do it everyday, we encounter a problem and look to ourselves to solve it and find a solution.  Whether it's an everyday type problem or a big stressful situation, we try and figure it all out.

In Jeremiah 17:5-10,  we are told that everyone who trusts in the flesh is going to be like a dead, unfruitful shrub.  With no purpose, no hope, empty and destitute.  That's what we are like when we rely on, trust and put our reliance on our own self-sufficiency.

Conversely, the passage goes on to say that when we trust in the Lord, and our trust is in him (confidence, security, certainty) we will flourish and be fruitful, despite the challenges we may face.

This can apply to those who do not know the Lord, but it can also apply to us as believers.  Every one has a tendency to revert back to trusting in ourselves at certain times in particular areas.  It's nothing new.  In the Garden of Eden, the serpent convinced Adam and Eve that they weren't like God, and by eating of the tree they would be.   They could become their own 'god', and that continues in us today.  We feel like we know best, but it's never going to work out well!!

Trusting in the Lord is only hard because it mean relinquishing self-reliance.  Once we can overcome that, it's the best thing ever.  God's way is always better, and he knows more than we do. God doesn't promise it will be plain sailing, but he does promise we can flourish in times of drought; he does promise he will be with us; he does promise provision; he does promise his power; he promises the right to use his name.    

The challenge today is, are there areas where we trust ourselves more than God?  If there are, it's time to bring these into a place where we relinquish trying control and solve them and trust God, and listen for his solution and plan.    When we do that, I believe that we will see those areas of our lives green and fruitful, healthy and hopeful.