"Why? Why can nothing go right?"

"Trust me. I won't let you down, trust me."

"Trust who?"

"Me, God, trust me."

"God?"

"Yes, God."

"How can I trust you?"

"I will never leave you. I will hold your hand and walk with you."

"But what if I fall and can't walk again?"

"I'll pick you up and carry you."

"You would really do that for me?"

"Of course! I love you, my child."

"I love you, too."

"And guess what?"

"What?"

"I will never abandon you. I am not like humankind. I will always be there."

"What do I have to do?"

"Like I said before, trust me. Trust that I know what's best for you. Can you do that?"

"Yes."

~~~~~

Trust.

That is a lesson that God has been trying to teach me lately.

He keeps placing obstacles in my way that are meant to test me. God wants me to have only one option, Trust. He wants me to trust in Him, that He will help me through every trial in life.

So many times I have let the test overtake me, letting the stress and worry consume me. I never thought of praying to God for help or trusting that He would walk with me through this. Instead, I let myself believe that I deserved every bad thing that was going on in my life. I had yet to think that God was using these hard times to test me, to see if I would run to Him. I just thought that He was abandoning me.

Then one night I laid in my bed, not able to sleep. I just stared into the darkness of my room, wondering if God was really there. Then all of a sudden, I felt a tugging on my heart. It was like God was saying, "Trust me!" over and over again. Each time He got louder. He wanted me to hear Him.

It was at that moment, in the middle of the night, that I gave up on trying to do everything myself. I decided to give everything to God, give him my worries and my stress. I have been a Christian for years, but trust has always been something I struggle with. I am very independent when it comes to certain things, I like doing things on my own. So that is why letting go and letting God has been so hard for me.

Let me tell you, that night when I told God that I would trust Him, I felt this weight immediately be lifted off of my chest. So now, whenever I feel the stress and worries of life start to creep back in, I stop and pray to God. I tell Him in that prayer that I do trust that He has everything taken care of, but I also ask Him for the strength to carry on and to continually trust Him.

Also, do you ever have that Bible verse that just smacks you right in the face when you read it? You know, those verses that just speak right to you, especially when you don't really want that part of your life to be addressed or fixed?

That is how Joshua 1:9 has been for me, time and time again.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”