"That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day." [2 Timothy 1:12]
Ah, the life of an infant. My 14-month old daughter wakes in the morning, and she knows without a doubt that once she cries, or talks, I will go in her room, say "good morning!" and pick her up. She knows that her needs will be taken care of; there is no need to wonder, question or even ask. Laura knows that I will change her diaper, strap her into the highchair, and place breakfast before her. She trusts that I will take care of her.
One day in the not-too-distant future, I will have to take Laura shopping for a kindergarten bookbag, a pencil case, brand-new crayons and order a left-handed pair of scissors for the little southpaw. And when the time comes, she will trust me to drive her to the school, open the door, and let her go. Let her go out into the world where kids tease and pull hair and steal, and I'll drive off, crying, and praying she will be safe.
Praying she will be safe -- the verse from Second Timothy has a wow moment for me. It calls me on the carpet to solidify my faith in Christ Jesus. "Because I know who I have believed" -- wow. Whom do I believe? I believe in Jesus Christ, the Only Son of the Only Living God, who cares enough to dispatch a fleet of angels at a moment's notice to guard me and mine. I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, who died for me, rose for me, and will come back for me.
But is believing in Jesus enough? No. Even the devils believe in God -- and shudder. We need to move beyond a shudder faith and into a victorious faith, where we move beyond believing in God and start Believing God. When we shift our faith from believing IN God, to believing God, we move from a stagnant to a proactive faith, a faith so powerful that it caused Peter's mother-in-law to rise from her bed upon being healed by Christ to serving Him.
I am convinced that Christ is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him that day. My shoulders are only so big. I cannot carry all the weight of the world on them, especially when my shoulders are so full of worry. This part of Paul's letter to Timothy has two action points: 1. we have to entrust what we are concerned about to Christ. Complete surrender. No less. We can't give it to Him then yank it back. 2. We have to be convinced that He will in fact guard those things that we entrust to Him.
Every day, before your feet hit the floor, give those day's concerns to God. Ask Him to "hem you in, behind and before, and lay His hand upon you" [Psalm 139:5]. Ask Him to guard these things that you are going to fully entrust to Him, and not yank them from His grasp. Name them, one by one -- that client meeting, the science project your kid is presenting that day, behavior issues from another child, your relationship with your spouse.
Entrust your faith to Him and ask Him to guard you, too. Entrust yourself to Him, and have the faith that He can do what He says He will do -- and this Scripture plainly says that He will guard what you entrust to Him. Know Whom you believe.
Peace.
