Friday, December 14, 2018
by Ed Owens
Isaiah 12:2-6
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my might;
he has become my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known his deeds among the
nations; proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be
known in all the earth. Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of
Israel.
“I will trust, and will not be afraid…” Indeed, having someone we can trust completely is cause for great
celebration and song, and indeed dispels fear!
In the summer of 2018, I was a chaperone for our youth group mission trip to Massanetta Springs, which
provided many opportunities for reflection, both informally and formally in group workshops. During
one particular workshop, the program leader asked us to think of someone that we trust completely, and
write a brief note to them expressing our thanks.
I started thinking about all of the people in my life, trying to decide who I felt like I could trust
“completely.” Well, I suddenly realized that “completely” is a serious threshold, and that I couldn’t think
of such a human being. Alas, we have all seen or heard stories about situations where a person with
seemingly irreproachable trustworthiness goes and violates that trust—and yes, such violations occur
between even the most intimately close family members. I am afraid that this human frailty is an
unfortunate reality of the human condition. Then, it came to me—there is indeed one being who I feel
like I can trust completely—who will always supply me with unwavering strength and comfort, and
pursue my best interests in the grand scheme of things—God!! God’s trustworthiness is indeed my
salvation, and its “well” is Jesus Christ.
Following the instructions of the workshop leader that day, I wrote a brief note to God on a piece of
scratch paper—it remains in my wallet, and now serves as a prayer: “Dear God, I know that I often think
pessimistic thoughts and have feelings of despair. I apologize, and I want you to know that I trust you
and your will for my life—completely. Thy will be done.”