The Root of Trust
“Consider the lilies, how they grow.” (Matthew 6:28)
One of my favorite devotional books is Streams in the Desert (Cowman, 1950). The other day, I read this interesting story about two monks. I will paraphrase…
The first monk decided he needed oil, so he planted an olive tree sapling, then prayed. “Lord, it needs rain that its tender roots may drink and swell. Send gentle showers.”
God did just as he asked. Then the monk prayed, “Lord, my tree needs sun.” And the sun shone. The monk prayed again, “Lord, now frost to brace its tissues.”
The little tree stood sparkling with frost, then died.
The monk sought the counsel of another brother, telling him of little tree. The second monk replied, “I too planted a little tree, and see, it thrives well! But I entrust my tree to its God. He who made it knows better what it needs than a man like me. I made no conditions nor did I try to tell God what to do. I simply prayed for God to send what it needed. Storm or sunshine, wind, rain, or frost. The Lord made my little tree and knows best its needs.”
How like that first monk we are! We want to tell God how to do his job, because we think we know what’s best. The staunchest journey for a Christian is truly believing God knows what’s best, turning over control, and then trusting Him for the result. No matter what direction that may be.
We prefer to get in there and set the terms and conditions so we know exactly what to expect. The danger here though is that we may wind up settling for something good instead of God’s best. And like that first monk, God will allow us to walk that journey so we can learn the difference.
The staunchest journey for a Christian is coming to the realization that God’s motivations are always for our good. He’s incapable of anything less. Only then can we move forward from this root of trust with the reassurance that whatever the outcome, it will be the best—God’s.
Praying and believing,
Dineen
Bio
Dineen A. Miller writes suspense novels, articles, and devotionals using her past experiences as a youth counselor, a Stephen Minister, and one of God’s “works-in-progress.” While living in Tennessee, she started a women’s ministry program that still thrives today. During a stint in Europe, she helped establish small groups for the purpose of Bible study and fellowship as part of an international church. Her most challenging adventures to date are being the mother of two teens, the wife of an avid disc golf player, and getting her first novel published. You can read her weekly posts at Spiritually Unequal Marriage where she shares her passion for the unequally yoked.
Amen to that, Dineen. Yes, I too want to tell God how to direct my life at times. But I noticed that when I take matters in my own hands, directing God, the outcome is mostly not good. Thank you so much for the reminder that God does know best.
Dineen, thanks for sharing that story. Yes it is so true, I was reminded of that song on the radio “Jesus take the wheel” – so many times we place ourselves in the driver seat and God as the co-pilot. Help us Lord, lead us and guide us. -blessings, Laurie
Hi Dineen,
This was a wonderful analogy. I haven’t ready “Streams…” in a long time. I think I may have to dust this one off.
Letting go of control, trusting Him for the results, believing He knows what’s best…there isn’t a day I don’t deal with these concerns. It’s a continual process of letting go.
That’s the problem with us living sacrifices, we keep climbing off of the altar!
Thanks for sharing with us today.
This devotional sure hit me where I needed it most. Each person is walking alone except God is right there walking with us. WE make things so much harder when we try to take the control of our situations. It is SO hard to just say “Lord, YOU take the lead & I will follow” Thank you for this blog. I know I will re-read it a dozen times…sharon
Amen my friend, amen.
Dineen, As always, love your story. You have such a great outlook on life and I love that about reading your blog and your stories. You rock, girlfriend.
Thank you, ladies! Such a pleasure to be at LWG today. Your comments bless me so much! 🙂
Love this post! At first glance it seems as if the first Monk is doing everything right by asking God for what he needs. However, sometimes we do forget that there are times when we simply need to trust that God knows what’s best for us.