When children become pre-teens and teens, they think more abstractly and become more self-focused. When this happens, they want to know “why” before they carry out instructions. If they’re not told “why,” or if it makes no sense to them, they often resist the request or directive.
At times, parents need to take more time to explain the reasoning behind their directives. But, because of their age and experience, parents know and foresee things their children are unable to. So there are times when a child needs to trust their parent’s wisdom, intentions, and love…even though the child doesn’t have the information they desire.
Ever since Adam and Eve were driven out of the garden, where they had everything they could want, people have been working hard to get what they want.
Working hard and acquiring things is not bad in and of itself. You can find many examples in Scripture of God blessing people who worked hard.
The problem is not hard work. The problem is assuming that what we have is a direct result of our efforts, rather than God’s provision. Jesus reminds us of this problem when He reminds us to look at how God provided for the birds. (Matthew 6:25-26)
It is God, and God alone, who provides all we need…as well as so many of our wants. (2 Peter 1:3) (1 Timothy 6:17b) (2 Corinthians 9:8-12) And it makes no difference if the need is large or small. God is the Provider of all…including the health, energy, and ingenuity to do what we do.
God’s provision is the theme of Numbers chapter 27. In the first half of the chapter, we see God providing an inheritance for five daughters of a man who died due to his own sinfulness. (Numbers 27:3) In the second half of the chapter, we see God providing leadership for an entire nation. Some might see the needs of the daughters as less important and pressing in light of the needs of a nation. But God treated both needs with equal care and concern.
This is God’s heart. He longs to provide for our every need. God calls us to work hard, but we should not confuse our work with His provision. May it be our heart to trust His provision. May it be our heart to trust Him.
When it comes to trust, we all tend to favor one of three choices: We trust in ourselves, we trust in others or we trust in God.
In Genesis chapter 16, Sarah didn’t trust God to provide a child. Instead, she trusted her own efforts and gave her servant girl (Hagar) to Abraham as a surrogate with which to conceive a child.
In Genesis chapter 21, Sarah gives birth to the son that God had promised…Isaac. This creates contention and rivalry between the two women and their children. Hagar, who had always trusted Abraham and Sarah to take care of her, is now sent away into the wilderness, at Sarah insistence. Out of supplies and waiting to die, Hagar encounters God and is told she would not only survive, but her son would become a great nation of people.
Both Sarah and Hagar had trouble with trust. Sarah trusted in her own efforts for a son. Her efforts came up short, but God was faithful. Hagar trusted in others to take care of her. Those people came up short, but God was faithful. Only Abraham chose to trust God first and foremost.
Is it wrong to work hard or to turn to friends and family for help? Not at all. The problem comes when we turn to these options first and trust them more than God.
When times are difficult, are you Like Sarah? Is your first inclination to roll up your sleeves and try to make something happen yourself? Are you like Hagar? Do you depend on other people to make things happen for you? Or are you like Abraham? Do you look to God first and trust Him no matter how things appear?
When I was young, I fell asleep while a dentist was working on my teeth. I had not been given anything to relax me. I just fell asleep. The dentist couldn’t believe it, and called my mom back just to see it.
Whether it’s the dentist or something else, we all face trouble in life. When trouble begins to stack up or go on for a long time, we can get discouraged and overwhelmed.
