Do Not Lose Confidence in God

     “Do not surrender your confidence; it will have great reward. You need patience to do God’s will and receive what He has promised.”                                                                                                                                                                                            Hebrews 11 vs 35-36



     As I spoke to my spiritual director, he listened attentively. I was sharing with him struggles I was experiencing and how I was at odds with the situations. I wanted so much to be able to “fix” things, but knew I couldn’t. I didn’t understand why they were happening.

     When I finished, he spoke words that pierced my heart! “Of all the ways you have offended God, He is most deeply hurt by your lack of trust in Him – by the way you doubt His love for you when things don’t go as you would like.” I felt devastated! It was the area where I struggle the most with God and I felt helpless to change it!

     Fast forward several years. A new spiritual director and words very similar spoken: “I believe that God is bringing you to a deeper level of trust. These are both situations which are near and dear to your heart. He wants you to trust Him in these areas. He wants you to let go.”

     Those are difficult words to hear when life is not advancing as you hoped. It can also be frustrating, as you wonder if you have progressed at all on the road of trust. We have a “fix it” mentality society and are under the illusion that if we do this or say that, all will be well. Well, I have found from personal experience that real life does not always work that way. There are times the more you do, the more complicated situations become in resolving the problem. God does lead us to a point where we finally get to see this truth. But it does not happen without a lot of practice and sometimes mistakes.

     Papa is calling us to a radical trust: To believe in Him and what He can do! We need to surrender little by little and hold on to our confidence in God. We have to believe even when it is not apparent to us, that God is indeed working. We need to keep handing the situation back to Him when we are tempted to take it back and do something. We need to keep praying, “my Jesus I trust in You,” and “Jesus I surrender this all to You. Take care of everything,” each and every time we begin to feel anxious. It works! It relieves your burden for a while, and places it back on the arms of God.

     God can and will work miracles in your life. It may not happen overnight and will most likely take days, weeks, months, even years. But through our prayers and sacrifices, and most especially our full and complete trust in God, things will eventually change. There are times when a situation will be fully resolved, while other times it happens in increments over time. God knows what He is doing; what is lacking is our trust in Him.

      I recently experienced a miracle from God, in which I saw the power of placing my trust in Him. It was with a situation about which I had been praying for some time – not months, but years. It had come to the forefront several times and to my disappointment, was never resolved. It came to a head again, and initially, I felt the old feeling of panic and despair entering my heart and mind. Recalling Father’s words, I realized my trust was required. I immediately went to my prayer room and prayed the novena of surrender. I handed the concern over to God, knowing I could not do anything to change it, but had to cling to Him. Providentially, I was having a Mass offered for my special intentions the following day. I continued to pray and sacrifice and had others join in praying for the situation. I was doing my best to surrender this to God, but was struggling. I kept giving it back to Him, realizing my helplessness.

     Mid morning the following day, I received a call to tell me the situation was resolved in a positive way. I was elated! I couldn’t believe how God had worked -- without my help or hindrance. 

     I believe that through this experience, it will help me in the future, to let go more quickly. I am called to believe that God is a mighty and powerful God and loves me passionately, regardless of what is happening in my life. God wants me to believe and trust in His faithfulness as I make my earthly pilgrimage. He wants me to trust that I am never alone and that He will equip me with the grace I need to grow into unfailing confidence in Him. My job is to cooperate and accept the grace.

     God’s grace will give you the patience needed as you surrender to His holy will. Expect God to work in your life and receive His peace and joy.

     “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your request to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4 vs 4-7).