5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
don’t rely on your own intelligence.
6 Know him in all your paths,
and he will keep your ways straight.
Reflection
Trusting each other seems to be almost impossible anymore. We have become convinced we can’t trust our leaders, our government, our neighbors-we’ve come to believe that there’s really no one we can trust. And without trust in the present, we feel there’s no hope for the future. In short, we’re all left feeling hopeless.
As we enter Holy Week, I wonder what Jesus was thinking? After a triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey, to the waving of palms and shouts of Hosanna, (Hebrew for “Save us, please!”) it all seems to go downhill. Judas, a trusted inner circle disciple betrays Jesus to the religious authorities who want Jesus to die. Jesus stands trial, only to have the crowd shout
for the criminal Barabas to be freed. Even Peter denies knowing Jesus, not once but three times. All his disciples have fled or are in hiding. Only the women disciples, and the youth John, watched helplessly, as Jesus died on the cross. Betrayed, denied and abandoned, who is left that Jesus trusted to call out to, to save him, in his darkest hour, while dying on the cross?
Only God.
Only God remained with Jesus. Because Jesus trusted God with all his heart, and God is faithful. Jesus trusted God with the plan God had for Jesus’ life. A plan that would bring God’s grace into the lives of the world for our salvation. It was a plan that called for Jesus to serve faithfully and follow God to the cross, so we would know God’s unfathomable love for us. I don’t know if Jesus knew what was on the other side of the dark, silent tomb, but Jesus
trusted God wholeheartedly. In the Garden Jesus prayed to God “My Father, if it’s possible, take this cup of suffering away from me. However, not what I want, but what you want.” (Matthew 26:39) Jesus let go, trusted God, and held onto a future with hope, the resurrection. It was the hope that became the promise of salvation that would transform the world and establish the Kin-dom of God.
by Jeneene Reduker
For Pondering and Prayer
Letting go, to hold on, sounds counterintuitive, but it’s not for people of faith. Trusting in God’s vision for our lives, and not relying on our own limited vision, makes perfect sense. Especially when we find ourselves in crisis where the way forward seems unclear. Trusting God with our whole heart, knowing God’s promises are true, it brings us hope when everything
else looks hopeless. But we know that God was with Jesus, and God continues to be with us. Jesus trusted God and found that God’s love is more powerful than suffering or death. Like Jesus, we can trust God with our whole heart, let go of fear, and hold on to the promises of God.
Are you feeling afraid or hopeless? What do you need to let go of, to trust God with your
whole heart? Are you living in hope by holding onto the promises of God?
Prayer: Holy and loving God, you are always faithful, always with us in our fears, our suffering and our hopelessness. We struggle to let go of our own understanding rather than rely on your plan for salvation. Help us to let go of our fear, comfort us in our suffering and renew our hope in your promises to transform the world by your love. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
