I could throw a million Bible verses here, all telling us to trust God in all things. I'm sure you're already listing a bunch off in your head. I think that, generally speaking anyway, Christians know that "trusting God" is a thing we're supposed to do.
There's no doubt that trusting God is easier said than done. With dedication and the Holy Spirit, we can start to head towards maybe actually doing that in even the hardest decisions of our lives. Getting to that point is a big deal and an ongoing process.
Believe it or not, though, that's not all there is to trusting God.
Trusting God is definitely about big life decisions, and small ones too. No question. More than that though, it's actually a whole lifestyle.
Things we believe run deep in our heads; that's just a general principle. Things we believe change our behavior in very mundane ways.
When was the last time you decided that you didn't have time to take care of yourself because you needed the time to work or achieve some other goal? Why did you assume that achieving that goal was dependent on you, when God has promised to provide for you?
In the words of Luke 12,
"Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:27-32, NASB).
Perseverance and dedication have always been important parts of the Christian life. There is certainly a time for schedules and deadlines. There is certainly a place for crunch time.
That said, you are not the defining factor in achieving your goals. That role belongs to God. If He wills for you to achieve your goal, you will. If He sees a better path for you than to achieve the goal you're seeing, you won't.
As Christians, our first goal is to follow God. Within that, we can strive to pursue the more specific paths God has laid out for us. If that specific path interferes with following God, though, then it wasn't the right one.
God commands us to seek Him before anything in this world. He commands us to lay down our fantasies of control and let Him show us a better way. Our very bodies are His temples, and tending to that temple for His glory must always take precedence over pursuing the goals of this world.
So next time you're tempted to forgo sleep in favor of bleary-eyed study time, trading your sanity for your GPA, remember that God holds all of that in His hand, and He will always take care of His children.
Next time you're tempted to procrastinate rather than address an uncomfortable issue, remember that God calls us to seek Him through all of ourselves, and He will always be with us.
Trusting God definitely has to do with praying before big decisions. It also has to do with including Him in every decision, no matter how small. He is always there and He always wants the best for you. You just have to trust Him.
