Trusting God Requires Faith

What is faith and how do we attain it? Let's find out!

Hebrews 11:1 NIV "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

Wednesday, I had a flight booked to see my sister and her family, and normally I set reminders to ensure I check in exactly 24hrs prior to flight departure in order to get an earlier boarding time (ex: A or B). But unfortunately, Tuesday night I realized I had totally forgotten to set a reminder for myself, so when I finally checked in my boarding position was C8 and C32 and my first thought was "oh great, I'm going to be stuck in a center seat on both flights." I actually thought about paying for an upgrade so I could board sooner, but shortly after I had this thought, I heard a voice saying, "you must not trust God if you think you have to take matters into your own hands." So, I immediately prayed about it and decided against the upgrade.

When I arrived at the gate and passed the gate counter, a subtle thought came to mind saying "it's not too late, you can still upgrade" so I prayed that I could get a window seat and reminded myself that God can do the impossible, but if it's not His will I would trust that whatever seat I'm given it's part of His plan.

Hebrews 11:6 NIV "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

The interesting thing is when I first got on the plane, I asked a lady if I could sit in the center seat and as she was getting ready to stand up, I felt something say "look up and keep going" so I said "I'm sorry I'll keep going to the back" and I noticed a flight attendant was blocking an entire exit row and I asked if I could have the window seat and she happily let me in.

How many times have we settled for something because we didn't believe or trust that God had something better for us?

Friends, are you listening to God's voice when He speaks to you? Do you notice when He is prompting you to keep going or do you recognize when He has something better for you? Not only did God save an entire row, but there was no seat in front of me (due to the exit door) and no one sat in the center seat next to me. I immediately thanked God for these gifts. When we trust God completely, He blesses us.

2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV

"We live by faith, not by sight."

As we were flying, I began thinking "I wish this was the flight from Las Vegas to St Louis because that is a longer flight. Notice how quickly our thoughts can change from gratitude to being selfish or negative? I immediately reminded myself to just enjoy this moment and this seat and that I shouldn't be worrying about the next flight. It's true, at times I have to coach myself too...

When I got on my connecting flight, I noticed a young couple sitting next to an open window seat so I asked if I could sit there but quickly realized they had an infant with them so I apologized and said I would keep going and they said they were happy to let me sit there but I said "I hope God keeps that seat open so you can have more space" (I like babies so I didn't have a problem with sitting next to one) and just a few rows back was an open center and window seat. Yes, you guessed it I was blessed yet again with no one sitting next to me and I was grateful to have another window seat. I thanked God for the gift of my seat, the scenery, and breathtaking skies and became moved to tears as I thought about His goodness. Yes, I can be emotional...especially when I think about all that God has done for me because I know as a sinner, I am not worthy of such gifts so when He blesses me, I am deeply grateful.

Trusting God means that we may have to remind ourselves constantly that no matter what our current situation looks like God can still give us the desires of our hearts, but it requires us to be faithful to Him.

Earlier I asked if we could attain faith? I believe the answer is yes, because the more we walk by faith and read God's Word the closer our relationship will be with Him and the easier it will become to recognize His voice. Faith requires us to surrender our will, our every thought, word, and deed. It means believing in God despite what our circumstances look like. It means trusting and knowing whether God answers a prayer or not it's part of His divine plan and being okay with it (which is not always easy to do) this why it's important to build a strong relationship with God so that our faith is not shaken by our trials.

Romans 10:17 NIV

"Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ."

The moral of my story is not to brag on what I got, instead it's to brag on God's goodness and a reminder that we should never settle just because our circumstances look impossible. Keep going because God may have a blessing waiting for you and if you give in to your thoughts, worries, and insecurities you may miss the many blessings He has in store for you. Trust Him completely! God knows what is best for us better than we do.

Psalm 9:10 NIV "Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you."

I hope you are encouraged by this song by Lauren Daigle. Lauren Daigle Look Up Child (Lyrics) - YouTube Remember to keep looking up and pay attention to where His voice is leading you!

Isaiah 30:21 NIV

"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

Written by: Jill Theriault

Crossroads Coaching - @crossroadscoachingongodstime