When Josh was about nine years old, He and his uncle were out in the yard playing tag. Josh had tagged his uncle and was running as fast as he could to avoid being tagged himself. Josh was laughing playfully as he looked back at his uncle chasing and trying to catch him. Then he turned around and ran, face first, into a tree. The blow knocked him right off his feet as he seemed to have taken a bite right out of the tree bark. A couple of his teeth were loose and bleeding and Josh was crying uncontrollably. His mom, along with his aunt, tried soothing him; all the while reasoning with him - telling him the bleeding was temporary, and that his teeth would be ok... but he just kept on crying. Realizing their motherly comfort wasn't working, the forlorn uncle asked them to step aside as he sat on the bench beside him. He gently put his large hands-on Josh’s shoulders and told him, "Josh, look at me." And he did. "Do you trust me?" asked his uncle. Josh nodded. "Josh... you're gonna be ok. Your teeth are gonna be just fine. Do you trust me on that?" He nodded again... and the tears began to dry up; with that he returned to the yard to play. All the reasoning in the world wasn't going to change how he felt. But his trust in his uncle did.²

Life works the same way. We trust our problems to friends, family, or sometimes even strangers, only to feel less than comforted. They give us advice and try their best to soothe our hurts, but we still walk away feeling badly. Sometimes we reject the comfort all together, hoping for another way. The Good News is that there is another way! Trusting God with our problems is the ONLY way to receive true comfort. When we’re at our lowest and our troubles seem overwhelming, The Healer leans in, places His strong hands on our weak shoulders, and says, “You’re gonna be OK... do you trust me on that?”

Suggested Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, human beings let us down, and we often place upon You the distrust, hurt, and pain that humans have caused us. Lord, I ask You to help me to truly and fully trust You so that when things do not go my way or look as I had hoped, I know that You are worthy of all my trust, and faith. Lord, I place my heart in Your mighty hand. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

1. Isaiah 41:10 (NIV).

2. www.sermoncentral.com

Today’s Encounter was written by: Veronica B.