Daily Devotion

Danelle Buelsing

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”  Proverbs 3:5

   I was heading into Stein Mart to look for a yoga mat when I tripped over a curb.  I don’t know how I missed the step; my face mask may have obstructed my vision, or maybe I just wasn’t paying attention.  All I know is that my arm reached out to break my fall, and I felt instant pain.

   When I got home, I thought about my arm’s automatic reaction and how it had resulted in a sprained wrist.  Holding ice on my swollen hand, I wondered why God thought it was a good idea to program something into us that could so easily result in injury.  Of course, I know that my outstretched arm may have prevented something more serious, like a concussion or a neck injury.

Every now and again, questions pop up in my mind that don’t have an easy answer, questions that start with something like “Why would God.…”  It isn’t the kind of thing that results in a major faith crisis, but rather causes a tiny ripple in my relationship with God.  It allows a little bit of doubt to settle in, a subconscious thought that maybe God doesn’t have the ability or the intention to look out for my best interest.  At those times of doubt, it helps me to remember when I felt sure of God’s guidance and love—when He provided a clear answer or – my favorite – a bit of serendipity. I like to catalog those God moments in my mind, and pull them out during the times that I need a faith boost.  They provide a reminder to trust God and to hold on to this truth:

  “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  Romans 8:28

Heavenly Father, thank you for all the ways that you show us your love and guidance.  Help us to trust you, even when your reasons aren’t clear to us.  Amen.