Learning to Trust God

I’m so grateful that we can be honest here at Candidly Christian. I love that we don’t have to come with everything figured out and all the right answers. It’s okay to be thoroughly in-process… what a beautiful thing!

In the spirit of candidly-ness, I’ve been struggling with a familiar Bible story lately. I recently spotted something that I hadn’t noticed before, that I just can’t get out of my mind. 

Mark 9:2-8 is an incredible passage that I highly encourage you to read and meditate on this week. In this passage, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a mountain, and He is transfigured in a moment. Jesus’s clothes become blindingly white, and the three disciples can see His immense glory. And, to top it all off, Moses and Elijah show up and chat with Jesus. 

What an incredible moment!

Can you imagine how utterly phenomenal that experience must have been? What an overwhelming sight to behold! 

What Happens Next

Here’s what happens next: 

And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.

Mark 9:5-8 (ESV)

I so appreciate that Peter was a nervous talker and sought to fill the moment with talking and doing instead of just admiring the splendor of God. But we also see here that Peter got a few things wrong. In his passion and zeal for God, Peter misunderstood the moment and also misunderstood Jesus. 

Face-Palm

Here’s the part of the story that I haven’t been able to get out of my mind: Jesus didn’t correct Peter. Seriously! Jesus doesn’t say a word at His friend’s face-palm-worthy suggestion.

Jesus didn’t need to rebuke His friend. Instead, He trusted His Father. Jesus didn’t come to His own defense here. Jesus didn’t launch into a sermon about why Peter was wrong. Jesus didn’t need to assert His validity. Instead, He trusted in His Father. 

When I read through this story the other day, I asked myself, How quick am I to correct someone’s assumptions about me? How quickly do I use my voice to promote myself instead of trusting my Father enough to speak on my behalf? 

It’s About Trust

Of course, there are times in the Bible when Jesus corrected Peter and the other disciples, so there is a time and place for that. But I think that I’m probably too quick to stand up for and defend myself. I want to protect myself instead of trusting in my Heavenly Father to be my defender. 

Jesus was one with the Father—there was and is perfect love and trust between them and the Holy Spirit. I know that I’m human, and I will never experience that level of perfection; still, I think this is an opportunity for growth in my life. 

Maybe I don’t have to be so quick to defend myself. And perhaps, self-protection doesn’t have to be a top priority for me–after all, it wasn’t for Jesus. He simply trusted in the Father, even in His most difficult moments. I’m keenly aware of how quick I am to trust in myself in my darkest moments. 

But God is kindly and patiently teaching me that He is trustworthy. 

God is Trustworthy

Jesus trusted in His Father when even His closest friends got it wrong. My prayer is that I would grow to trust God to that level. I have a long way to go, but I believe this is part of the journey of becoming more like Jesus. Though trust is a difficult subject to discuss and an even harder one to live out, I’m grateful that God sticks with me and continues to love me even when I get it wrong like Peter. What a great God we serve!