“Have you tried checking the breaker?” My friend said over the phone. “No, I answered” as I realized my oversight. While enduring the heat and humidity — and mosquitos — in the outdoor storage room of my son’s college house, we attempted to fix his dryer by repeating the same steps. Take the electrical cord off. Put it on again. And repeat.
The famous one-liner — insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results — summed up our efforts.
Frustrated and out of ideas, I called my electrician friend. Guess what? Once we flipped the breaker, the dryer worked perfectly.
Some things are just that simple. Although the process to get there may be difficult.
Like trust. Jesus asks us simply to trust.
There are many people in the Bible who demonstrated trust and great faith, even in difficult or trying circumstances.
Demonstrating trust and great faith
Moses’ trust in God led him to escort the Israelites to the Promised Land.
Daniel’s complete trust and faith in God equipped him with the strength and confidence to enter the lion’s den and to walk out unscathed.
David’s unshakable faith in God gave him the boldness to challenge a nine-foot giant.
Esther’s trust in God prompted her to risk her life to save her people.
Stephen’s trust in Jesus supplied him with the courage to share his faith and forgive his accusers.
There are many more. We also know friends and family who exemplify trust.
My friend Laurie spent 214 days in and out of several hospitals. At one point, her family was told she would not survive. But while stuck in a hospital during Covid without family and distractions, she met God. And that changed everything. Her newfound trust in the Lord gave her the courage to forgive and find joy and love again. It gave her the confidence to walk away from lies and hate to truth and the goodness of God.
Flipping the electrical breaker
God can be trusted.
It is simple, but sometimes we make it difficult. We certainly live in a time where we need to place our trust in the Lord. Instead, we often put our trust in ourselves, thinking we alone can solve the problem, fix the issue or change the situation.
Do you need to flip the electrical breaker in your life? Do you need to say no to the lies that bog you down? Do you need a measure of trust for that pending decision? Do you need to trust God for an event in your life? Do you need to let go of a solution that’s getting you nowhere?
The answer is simple.
Trust. Let’s do just that and allow the energy and power that comes from the Lord fuel our days and nights.
Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. Jeremiah 17:7 (NIV)