'Only One Way to Find Out'
Theme of the Week: Source of Confidence
Bill Hybels
Saturday, March 13, 2004
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Q. How can I develop complete confidence in God?
A. My first time skydiving, I turned to my instructor, patted my parachute, and asked, "Can I really trust this thing to open?"
"There's only one way to find out," he answered. "But mine's never failed me yet."
There's no shortcut to trust. Although the Bible records God's trustworthy behavior throughout history, we must develop a more personal dimension of trust in God in the same way we develop trust with, say, a dating partner: by engaging together in everyday situations over an extended period of time.
Think back to a young woman who made your heart skip. On your first date, you noticed if she was ready on time. In ensuing encounters, you took some risks and discussed a few matters of the heart. That conversation and those that followed either enhanced or eroded your trust in her. If your trust grew to the point where you decided to date her exclusively, you began gauging long-term loyalty and dependability.
That's the only way to determine for ourselves if it's safe and wise to entrust our lives to God.
How did this work for you?
Soon after I became a believer at age 17, a mature Christian man said, "Bill, I have a challenge for you. Why not put your whole life in God's hands? Why not let Him lead you in every area of your life for as long as He proves Himself trustworthy?"
I looked over the risks and possibilities, then said, "Okay, God, I'm going to give Your leadership a try. I'm all Yours."
Bill Hybels pastors Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois.
Adapted from Making Life Work (InterVarsity, 1998) by permission.
Copyright © 2004 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.
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Almighty God, give me a calm confidence based not on my own abilities but on your absolute trustworthiness and power.
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