Joy in trusting in God

Over the past few days I have been struck by and thinking a lot about the fact that knowing one's need to trust in God is essential for joy. It is incredible to think that when we are aware of our complete and utter dependency on the Lord we are able to experience more and more joy.

I was prompted to think about this when talking to a friend who regularly smuggles Bibles into China. He was saying that he looks forward to these occasions because they make him trust in God. Well that blew my mind in itself, but I have also been listening to John Piper a lot recently and his ministry is all about joy in Christ of course. So I began to put the two together. John Piper was also challenging his hearers in one message to build their lives more and more on the Bible (so I added that to my thoughts!)

Today I read 2 Corinthians 11. Verse 30 says "If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness." I connected it with my original thoughts about having to trust in God. Paul says the same thing! He boasts in his weaknesses because they make him trust in God! As my study Bible says:

Paul's weakness opens the way for him to experience the superabundant strength of God's grace.

Isn't that exciting?

Guess what....

... yep you guessed it, we sang another awesome hymn in church tonight (although I have other things to say for a change too!)

The hymn is by the incredible Puritan writer Richard Baxter and it is called Lord, it belongs not to my care. Here it is (I have highlighted the parts that particularly struck me but the whole thing is wonderful):

Lord, it belongs not to my care

Whether I die or live;

To love and serve Thee is my share,

And this Thy grace must give.

If life be long, I will be glad,

That I may long obey; (wow)

If short, yet why should I be sad

To welcome endless day?

Christ leads me through no darker rooms

Than He went through before;

He that unto God’s kingdom comes

Must enter by this door.

Come, Lord, when grace hath made me meet

Thy blessèd face to see;

For if Thy work on earth be sweet

What will Thy glory be!

Then I shall end my sad complaints

And weary sinful days,

And join with the triumphant saints

That sing my Saviour’s praise.

My knowledge of that life is small,

The eye of faith is dim;

But ’tis enough that Christ knows all,

And I shall be with Him.

Outstanding, is it not?

Well I have just had a great weekend. I went to the UCCF Welsh Region's New Leaders Training Weekend at Newtown Evangelical Church. I went to help in the kitchen. My good friend and ex-housemate in Swansea Mike Chalmers was also working in the kitchen so that was nice. It was very exciting to be doing something with UCCF again. It was great to catch up with old friends and be in that atmosphere of 'student work'.

Some things challenged me this weekend from the talks and looking at the examples of Christians around me. At the moment I find people who are clearly working out their relationship with God day-by-day quite striking. It is a wonderful thing to see. I have been thinking about my own prayer life. There are times when, for example, I will be so pleased that I am actually praying today. So I ask God for grace for tomorrow that I would also spend time praying then. However, I then go through the next day not remembering that I have asked this and therefore not looking for His reply, i.e. not looking for His grace to help me to come to prayer. It is not a surprise then when I don't choose to have a quiet time that day. I need to be living in faith. It is so obvious but yet not obvious. Living in faith means believing moment-by-moment that His grace is all we can rely on (because on our own we are hopeless) and it is sufficient!

’tis enough that Christ knows all,
And I shall be with Him.

ps - I much prefer 'Thee's and Thou's' in hymns. we sang from 'Praise' at New Leaders, which doesn't have them, it didn't sit right with me. I won't work out why right now, I need to sleep!