He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes. Psalm 112:7-8 (NIV)
When I was a new believer, I remember hearing a song by Babbie Mason entitled “Trust His Heart” that became a favorite of mine. For years, I trusted in everything but as a new believer—no matter what was going on in my life—I needed the reminder that God was the only One I could trust.
Recently the lyrics to this song came back to me when adversity struck our family. My granddaughter has a heart for the Lord and a passion for basketball. She is so committed to the game and goes the extra mile to improve her skills; she dreams of one day playing at the college level. Last year, she was confronted with an obstacle to her dream: a torn ACL, which required reconstructive knee surgery. As you can imagine, this was one of the biggest challenges this precious teen has had to face. So she spent the last year working hard to rehabilitate her knee. She remained positive and modeled a Christ-like attitude to her teammates as she spent most of the year on the bench while regaining strength in her knee. As it would be, a year later to the day—and playing on the exact same basketball court—she tore the ACL in her other knee! Disappointment. Frustration. Heartbreak. Shattered dreams. And a simple one-word question: “Why?”
Life is hard and we don’t always understand why tough things happen. When tragedy hits, it’s almost impossible not to question God. Between tears and a broken heart, it can be difficult to see anything but the pain we are experiencing. But as followers of Christ, it is essential that we learn to take our eyes off our heartache and look into the heart of God. That’s why the words of Babbie Mason’s song resonate so strongly with me; the lyrics sum up everything we need to know when we do not know what else to do. Trust His heart.
As my sweet Kayla processed her disappointment, she examined every detail of the accident in an effort to make sense of it. Thoughts crept into her mind and she reflected on the days leading up to the new injury. She began to wonder if missing her quiet time with the Lord the week preceding the accident had anything to do with her knee. I am so thankful she asked about her fears so we could use God’s Word to remind her of His truth. God is not in the business of punishing His children; God is in the business of loving His children. Kayla is not being punished for not having her quiet time. Kayla is experiencing the consequences of living in a fallen world and bad genes (her Dad has knee issues as well). As I grieved for Kayla and questioned the Lord myself, the words to “Trust His Heart” flooded my heart and mind and brought a peace that comes only from knowing His heart.
Our foundation as believers in Christ is trust—trusting a God who loves us and gave His Son so that we may find life in Him. God is a giver and He gives only His best. We live in a world that is cursed with sin and experience the consequences of living in a fallen world. God gives us hope and a promise that one day He will make all things new. Until then, we will face trouble in this world. However, we can be of good cheer because Jesus has overcome the world! In Him, we can see His heart and trust His plan!
There is no way for me to know what is happening in your life today, but I pray that the words of this song will bring comfort, peace, and a renewed faith in our great God as they do for me.
“TRUST HIS HEART”
All things work for our good
Though sometimes we can't
See how they could
Struggles that break our hearts in two
Sometimes blind us to the truth
Our Father knows what's best for us
His ways are not our own
So when your pathway grows dim
And you just can't see Him,
Remember you're never alone
(Chorus)
God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
So when you don't understand
When don't see His plan
When you can't trace His hand
Trust His Heart
He sees the master plan
He holds the future in His hand,
So don't live as those who have no hope,
All our hope is found in Him.
We see the present clearly
But He sees the first and last
And like a tapestry He's weaving you and me,
To someday be just like Him
(Chorus)
He alone is faithful and true
He alone knows what is best for you
(Chorus)
When you don't understand
When you don't see His plan
When you don't understand
When you can't trace His hand
Trust His Heart
Further Reading
John 16:33
