From the Pastor – April 2025

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
Psalm 56:3

     Back when I lived in Minnesota, I once had a heart warming conversation with a person in church on her birthday.  She was north of 90 and could remember Black Monday, the Great Depression, WWII and the Cuban Missile Crisis.  Although she was well into her 90s, she still lived alone and kept the books for several local businesses as well as did her own taxes.  Even more, she would converse with anyone in depth on any topic.  She was wonderful, a force of nature, and, as she would say, still sassy.

On her umpteenth birthday, I asked her about her life in review, thus far.  She had a whole list of things she was proud of and an even  longer list of things for which she was thankful.  Then, I asked her the real challenging question…,” if you could do life over again what would you do differently?”  She answered immediately.  She nearly shouted and said, “I would trust God more!’  Then, she gave me a laundry list of things she worried about that God worked out for the best.  The  list stretched from her own personal safety needs, work-related concerns, worry about children and grandchildren and great grandchildren.  She fretted about politics and what we now call global security.  She agonized about what people thought of her and even her own health.  She said all this worry just poisoned her happiness and weighed down her life for no good whatsoever.  After enumerating the list, she
repeated, in case I forgot during the recitation, “I would trust God more.”

It was a surprise to hear her say these words!  I never took her to be a worrier.  She was attentive to detail but never frazzled.  And, really, this was the first deeply spiritual thing that she had ever volunteered.  And, deeply spiritual it is!  Can you imagine a more faithful thing to say or believe?

If this seems to strike a cord, my question for you is, what would your life look like if you trusted God more?  When I ask people this question, they commonly respond that they would worry less and have more time and energy for the things that bring them joy. They would be more present for the people they love.  In short, life would be better all the way around.

Interestingly enough, the people who I know that seem to be the most kind, understanding and graceful are also the people that have come through the most and learned to trust God through it. Seems like those things are related.

I think about the times of life that I have felt I had reason to be the most worried.  Transitioning from college to adulthood, when family members are critically ill, really anytime that something is important to me and I can’t directly influence the outcome.  The worry never helped. Actually, the worry itself probably kept me from making the best possible use of my time and skills.

Psalm 56 is a simple psalm written to encourage us to trust in God especially when it is most difficult. Written by King David, a person who, presumably, learned to trust God while tending the flocks and defending them from all manner of beasts at night. God continues to be faithful.  We have good reason to put our trust in God.

Pastor Jim