Learning To Trust
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 1 John 4:18 ESV
We were excitedly on our way to SeaWorld for their new Praisewaves Weekend with Steven Curtis Chapman. We backed out of the driveway and headed down our short road to leave our subdivision. The Suburban was making a loud knocking noise. My husband hesitated, then spoke those words, “I don’t like the sound of that.”
Our family has been blessed that my husband is handy when it comes to cars. He does most of the work himself, which over the years has saved us untold amounts of money. However, the mounting issues with our beloved Suburban were becoming more than it was worth. Transmission. Air Conditioning. Now, the engine. These were all things he wasn’t able to work on. With those seven words, we began the search for a “new to us” vehicle.
I say “new to us” because in my mind, we needed to look at about four to five year old vehicles. We did. My husband wasn’t happy with what we were finding. He began the push towards a brand new one.
Let me stop here and say, I am a money worry wart. I worry constantly about finances. The thought of a new car and a new car payment was more than I could fathom. At the same time, however, I was working through a Bible Study in 1 Peter 3 studying submission. My husband is the head of our finances. He takes care of all the bills and financial responsibilities in our household. He had crunched numbers and came up with what our family could afford. The problem for me was simple. I was not trusting my husband on this decision. Ultimately, that meant I wasn’t trusting God.
I had to step back and look at the bigger picture. God has divinely placed my husband here to lead our family. He doesn’t typically make bad decisions with regard to finances. He is conservative with funds and I do believe he would never place us in a bad situation on purpose. By my resisting his decision that we need to purchase new, I was not being the wife that the Bible has directed me to be. I knew I had been wrong in my unbelief of him and ultimately of God and his hand in our marriage.
With a lot of prayer, together we went into a dealership looking for a new van. I specifically prayed God would guide our steps and that if we, together as one solid unit, were not supposed to make this purchase, that doors would close and we would know for sure. We prayed for God to protect our path and guide our steps. We left with a new van. Admittedly, that doesn’t mean I have been totally flawless in my thoughts. I did not sleep for about two days thinking, “what have we done?” I know that God is faithful. He is bigger than my worry. He is bigger than my doubt. Thankfully, He is bigger than my finances. Everything belongs to Him anyway.
It is kind of funny how things sometimes work out. On Friday, my husband was given a raise. This raise more than covers the cost of our new van. Yes, I know. That didn’t “just happen.” God is bigger than my doubt and worry.
Today, what are some ways that you as a wife can support and honor your husband by following his lead? I learned a very important lesson with this whole ordeal. But I sure am glad God used it to show me such an amazing truth. When I trust my husband to lead our family, I am ultimately trusting God to lead our family.
Isn’t it amazing how God works situations out in such a way that it has you wondering, “Why was I worrying in the first place?”
I, too, have struggled in this area. In those seasons the Lord impressed on me the importance for praying for my husband as he leads our family! Thank you for the practical direction.
What a great message on trust, Dana. I know that I often do not walk by faith, but by sight. May I be always trusting more what God is doing in my life.