Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light,

Trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.

Isaiah 50:10

TRUST.  Yes, that's it!  That's the lesson of the year already.  My recent education in Trusting God took me here, and here, and on to here... Every post these past weeks have pushed me to the finish line - or is Trusting God the starting line?  Commencement!  Both "a graduation ceremony" that celebrates what's been learned, and "a new beginning!"  

Trust is that place.

The Jumping Off Place.  

A hundred and fifty or more years ago men packed up families, loaded wagons, hitched up oxen, and said goodbye to homes in the east to journey west.  They had to leave to move forward.  That place where they stocked up on last minute supplies before hitting the wide open prairie, that place was known as The Jumping Off Place.  

We stock up on is faith, and move forward in trust.  Graduation.  Commencement.

I walked along the beach with my friend, recounting these things, sharing my fresh realization.  

She said, "I don't trust Him."

We didn't stop walking, and the waves didn't stop crashing, and God didn't stop the world from spinning due to this confession.   She went on, "I don't trust God with my husband.  I don't trust that He will keep my husband faithful.  I'm full of fear."  Feet kept moving, waves kept rolling, the world kept spinning. 

We silently moved passed the lady with the dog, then I said what entered my mind, what hasn't left my mind since:  "What if... what if  Trusting God isn't supposed to be about how we want things to go?  What if we aren't supposed to trust God to necessarily save a life, keep our kids safe, or our husband's faithful?  What if we're supposed to merely Trust Him... to be God.  Whatever happens.  To be Sovereign and Loving and Good?"  

Waves crash, and the world spins.  Though it seems to consume and drown us, and spin out of control at times, it is held within the loving confines of God's hand.  Into that hand we place our Trust.  

What if we're supposed to merely Trust Him... to be God.  As I said, it's been on my mind ever since the words came from my mouth and edified my heart, bolstering my faith.  

I've left the jumping off place.  I will not turn back; though as I cross, the river waters rage and swell. I will not turn back; though the prairie goes on like a wilderness before me.  I will not turn back; though my children may not be safe, and loved ones will die, and husbands will forsake families... "Yet still I will exalt the name of the Lord, and glorify (and trust) the God of my Salvation."  

This passage (along with my a modern twist) came to my mind:

Though the fig tree does not bud

(though I am barren or miscarry, or my children die)

and there are no grapes on the vines,

(and my family files bankruptcy)

though the olive crop fails

(though my husband forsakes us for another)

and the fields produce no food,

(and we go hungry)

though there are no sheep in the pen

(though we lose our home)

and no cattle in the stalls,

(and I am alone)

yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

(The Lord is still faithful and good)

I will be joyful in God my Savior.

(There is Joy for He is trustworthy)

The Sovereign Lord is my strength;

(I commit each moment to trust in Him, regardless of circumstances)

He makes my feet like the feet of a deer,

(He's holdingme.  I will not fall)

he enables me to tread on the heights.

(He will bring me on to a forever love, an eternal place where there are no tears.)

Habakuk 3:17-19  --  Parenthesis mine

Trust.  Commence.  Jump.  Regardless.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and lean not on your own understanding.

In all your ways, acknowledge Him,

and He will make your path straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

TRUST.

The LORD is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.

My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. 

Psalm 28:7

Trust.