Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Depending or knowing?

In the Bible, God paints several pictures of His relationship with us. He describes himself as the good shepherd, as our Father, as our King, and He also describes the church as his bride. Thinking through each of these relationships - one thing that stands out to me is that in each case whether it be as sheep, child, subject, or bride - knowing the shepherd, father, king, or husband is not only an emotional or intellectual knowledge - it is also a knowledge of dependence. Each of these relationships is built on love and trust - knowing that the one in whom we place our trust will protect us - and provide for us. It is a matter of knowing deep down in our heart that God has our best interests at heart - that He will always do whats best for us.

Sometimes we don't feel as if that is true. Emotionally it can seem as if we have a better plan - as if we know better becasue we are down in the trenches living it out day to day. The trouble with living in the trenches is that it is hard to see what is beyond the next trench. As we come to KNOW God - to know his character - to know his voice - we learn to depend upon him for wisdom and guidance even when we don't know what to do - or when it doesn't seem to make sense.

Personally I would love to say that I always understand exactly where God is taking me and what He is teaching me, but often times I find myself following and depending because I know that He will never lead me astray.

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