Trust

Do we really trust God? I know that I do for certain things - I trust him for my salvation, for eternity. But do I trust Him with my kids safety and well being? How about when I am not there to "control" certain aspects of their lives that I have previously been able to control, or to think I am controlling. God is really showing me how little I do trust Him. What am I scared of? Oh, the list can be long and endless. But I know that God wants what is best for my children. He won't let them go. He is more determined than I am for them to make Him the love of their lives.

I was listening to James McDonald this morning and he was talking about wrestling with God for our family. I learned so much from what he had to say about the text. He was talking about how gentle God was with Jacob to wrestle with him all night - one touch and God could have killed him. Yet, he wrestled with him, waiting for him to surrender. When Jacob wouldn't surrender, God touched him and broke his hip. The longer we wait to surrender, the harder the break is going to be. This is the hard part, God will wrestle gently with us and our kids but eventually, if we don't surrender, He will break us.
However, after the break, He blessed Jacob. God is longing to bless us but He wants our surrender first. I can rest knowing that God with wrestle with me and my kids until He gets our surrender. I rejoice in this, that He will continue pursuing until He gets our complete surrender.

I am scared of what He might have to do to get my kids' total surrender - I know how He had to break me and it wasn't pretty, but in the end, the final result of the surrendered life is more than worth the breaking.
I pray today that my kids would stop wrestling with God. They would fully surrender to Him. I pray that He would use the trials of this world that they encounter to surrender to Him. I pray that I would simply trust Him, that He will use each experience to grow them close to Him.

Our total surrender - let's give Him that today!