Probably at some time in our lives we have all wondered what it means to trust the Lord.

Trust can be elusive. It is not something that we magically create, but it is something that the Lord develops in us over time. It usually requires walking through difficult circumstances for the Lord to implant trust in us.

I believe that trusting God is like bungee jumping. You jump as a choice of your will, while you are connected to a large elastic, bungee cord. In the same way, we trust as a choice of our will while we are connected to the Lord.

For those who enjoy bungee jumping, the thrill and excitement come from the jump and the resultant rebound. Often when the Lord asks us to trust Him, it is difficult to experience the joy and the excitement that could be ours if we are willing to jump with abandon.

A very familiar Bible verse tells us to “trust in the Lord and lean not to our own understanding.” Often it seems that we want to know the outcome before we are willing to trust the Lord. That would be like having the second phase of bungee jumping, where you oscillate up and down, but somehow omit the jumping phase.

Trust can be a very difficult challenge, especially when it seems like all the possible outcomes are not what you might necessarily desire. Yet the Lord is a master at directing our paths and He delights in our willingness to enjoy the adventure.

I personally have never been bungee jumping and probably never will add that to my bucket list. However, there have been hundreds of times when I have had to trust the Lord, sometimes for the seemingly impossible.

For me, the hardest part is being willing to take the plunge.  I don’t always enjoy the up and down emotions that frequently come with trusting the Lord until the situation is resolved.

I would love to say that I always take the leap with the same joyful abandon that you see on the faces of bungee jumpers. However, sometimes for me it is more like – take a deep breath, jump and see what the Lord will do. He has always been faithful and I believe that His delight comes from our willingness to leap.

The good news is that we are attached to an incredible “bungee cord.” The Lord is our cord and He will never slip, break, lose elasticity or inadvertently become unattached. His hold on us is always firm and secure.

So the next time you sense the Lord asking you to trust Him, take the leap with joyous abandon and enjoy His adventure.

~ Marianne

Related articles

• Marianne’s Devotionals (crossroadjunction.com)