Why Would I Write a Blog?

I don’t know if it is just me, but I feel like there are more people putting comments, thoughts, and Scripture on Facebook to encourage others than what I remember seeing before the virus came our way. Don’t misunderstand, I know there are still plenty of unwise comments to ignore, but I love the fact we are seeing some who are not just interested in themselves. They are also trying to make a difference in other people’s lives.

I guess the question, why would I start writing a blog now when many are doing such a beautiful job in sharing when I also have plenty to do?

The most important reason for me to write a blog on “How to Trust God in Difficult Times,” is, I believe the Holy Spirit told me to write it. There are a lot of people hurting and seeking. I have also started to write another book on the same subject for the same reason.
 
I accepted Christ into my life on April 28, 1967 and I have not had one day since that I regretted making that choice. I had my life planned and God was not a part of it, but after the 28th, God gave me His plan so when He asked me to write a blog, He knew I would. When He asked me to write another book on the same subject, I am. When He led me to preach a message on how to trust God in difficult times, again, I have. Does that make me a super saint? Not at all. It means I want whatever He wants. It means He has taught me to trust Him. Sometimes I have to ask Him to help me because I am not strong enough to do it without Him.  
I want to end this blog today with one story how God taught me to trust Him. I was about to leave the house going to the job site but before I left I was praying. Life had been difficult, money was really tight. My wife was into her sixth year of a disease that would never leave us until she went home to be with the Lord twenty-seven years later. We had two kids still at home, one about to graduate and the other just going into high school. We had a warm place to live, food on the table, and family close but just barely making it. We had a good church, but I was really tired.

I was praying, or I should say complaining, telling God how bad things were, as if He didn’t know. When all of a sudden, out of my mouth came these words, “Lord, teach me to trust You!”

I realized what I just said, looked around to see where it come from and then I realized that was what I wanted! I wanted to learn to trust God because I knew instantly how He was going to teach me. I was so excited!  At that moment of the revelation of God’s plan to teach me such an important lesson with the knowledge of how He was going to do it, just made my day. I was sure there would be one of two ways it was going to happen. One possibility, my business would grow to a point I would need a four-wheel drive truck, because we would be building so many buildings that I would need to drive from job to job just to keep all the construction going, or the other possibility would be the Publishers Clearing House would pull up in front of my house with a huge check.

I hate being wrong. I worked hard for eight months, patiently waited for one of these ideas to come to fruition, but neither option happened. One morning after eight months, I am once again at my place of prayer complaining, crying to God about how bad it was when He said something to me that changed my life. He said, “You asked me to teach you to trust me didn’t you?"

I said, “Yes, Lord, but what does that have to do with what I am talking to you about now?"

Then He said the words that changed my life, and I have never been the same: “You have had to, haven’t you?"

I suddenly knew what it meant to trust God. I only control one attitude, one person. I can’t create stars like He does, put them in place and tell them to stay there. I can’t create a huge ball of fire to warm and give light to my creation which is another thing. I can’t create a human being as He did, so intricate and so delicate and yet so amazing. I didn’t die on a cross for the sins of man and rise from a grave to defeat the last foe of death, but Jesus did. I didn’t, and can’t do anything He has done but I know He did. He can do anything, and we can trust Him because He has always dealt bountifully with me.  He is the living God! Nothing catches Him by surprise. You can trust Him. He knows tomorrow better than we can remember yesterday.
Isaiah 41:10

In His service,
Tom

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