Throw All Your Weight on Him

I decided to go Zip-lining for my birthday a few years ago. I generally love to keep my feet firmly planted on the ground, but for some reason I agreed to be harnessed to a pulley attached to a steel cable 500 feet in the air, and “zip” from one treetop to another on a 3-hour canopy tour.

After being properly fit for my harness and helmet we journeyed to the practice zip. At this point whatever emotional high I was on when I agreed to this tour was gone, and reality set in. The instructor asked me drop down off the platform and let gravity carry me to the other side of the zip, where the second instructor was there to guide me to a safe landing. The instructors asked me to trust them and their zip-lining system. I confessed my fear of heights… the standoff began.

Similar to my zip-lining experience, sometimes I get into a spiritual standoff with God. My faith is strong in so many areas, but in certain aspects of life I’m desperately weak in faith. God asks me to trust Him. I confess I’m afraid… the standoff begins.

I’ve been through so many spiritual standoffs that I’ve developed a trust-test-cheat-sheet to remind me of three basic characteristics proving God’s utter trustworthiness.

He's Faithful. Because of His unchanging character and His unlimited power, He could never commit Himself to do something He is incapable to perform. God keeps all His promises (Numbers 23:19).

He's Willing. God’s purpose and plan for our lives is masterfully thought out, and intricately interwoven in a way we could never figure out if we tried. Deeper still, behind God’s masterful plan is a heart of love. We should think of God’s will as His heart’s desire; His deep longing and affection for His beloved. It may not always feel like it, but “all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

He's Able. The raw power of God is unmatched. Nothing, no-thing is impossible for God (Luke 1:37). Theologians describe God’s ability to do all within His holy will as omnipotence. The implication for us: God’s ultimate will can never be frustrated. He is fully trustworthy; so, you can throw all your weight on Him.

I eventually overcame my fear and enjoyed an exhilarating 3-hour zip-lining experience in the Berkshire mountains of Massachusetts. I had so much fun I went back a couple years later and did it again!

What fear or weakness will you overcome by trusting God? What exhilarating life experience could you miss if you fail the trust test?

Trust in the Lord, and do good;

Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

Delight yourself also in the Lord,

And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord,

Trust also in Him,

And He shall bring it to pass. (Psalm 37:3-5)