Trust and Joy

The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.
(Psalm 28:7 - NIVUK)

About four years ago I was fortunate enough to go on a prayer journey in Central Asia. The aim was to trek to and through places where there are no known Christian churches and pray that God would send his Spirit to move in the hearts of the people we met and the communities we walked through. We also wanted to start building relationships with locals for possible future trips.
 
How I decided to commit and join the group on the trip is a whole other blog (or series of blogs), but one moment in the run-up to the trip still stays with me to this day. I remember (stupidly) being concerned that I might die on this trip. We were going into what I thought would be a hostile environment for Christians, and I was worried for my family’s provision should I not return.
 
So I did what I usually do when I am concerned or troubled: I turned to God. I sat in my office at church and started worshipping alone. At one point, halfway through Goodness Of God, I was overwhelmed by a deep sense of peace. I sang the chorus again:
 
All my life you have been faithful.
All my life you have been so, so good.
With every breath that I am able
I will sing of the goodness of God.
 
In that moment God reminded me that he has been faithful long before I was born and will continue to be faithful long after I have departed this world. My family would be taken care of if I cannot take care of them anymore.
 
Tears freely flowed down my cheeks. I dared not open my eyes in case someone came in while I was bawling with a guitar on my lap. A sense of peace, joy, relief and comfort just washed over my soul, and for the first time in a long while I felt fully, deeply and utterly loved and cared for.
 
That precious moment really set up how I approached the rest of the journey. Preparing for the hiking part of the trip was done with confidence and zeal. Praying for the trip became less about bringing my fears to the Lord, and more about bringing my hopes to the Lord. Crossing borders on the trip could have been a really nervy experience, but it wasn’t, because I knew God had this. No matter what would come our way, I knew God had the situation and the team in hand.
 
Things changed in that country after we left, but not in the way we would have wanted to or had prayed for, unfortunately. Things seem to be going backwards at the moment. However, I have walked with God for long enough by now to know that his work doesn’t always appear as we expect it to. Even now I have to remind myself that God’s provision, his care and his love for the people we met and prayed for did not end when we left the country. He still has this situation in his hand and he is continuing to do his work.
 
I pray that you will know the same peace, comfort and joy in whatever situations you are facing today. May you trust in the Lord and experience his presence, his peace and the joy that comes from knowing him. May you know and trust that he is working, even when it doesn’t feel that way. And above all, may you remember that you are fully known and deeply loved.
 
A prayer - Lord Jesus, thank you for being good to me throughout my life. Thank you for bringing me this far, and for knowing you will take me further. Help me trust in you and live my life with the freedom of knowing your love and guidance every day. Amen.