1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:13,680 Speaker 1: Life Audio. Welcome to the Crosswalk devotional. We're glad to 2 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:17,320 Speaker 1: have you listening with us. Today's topic is why it's 3 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:21,439 Speaker 1: important to trust God when we don't know something. We'll 4 00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:36,920 Speaker 1: return with the devotional after a brief message from our sponsors. 5 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:41,720 Speaker 1: The Gift of not Knowing written and read by Whitney Hoppler. 6 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:45,520 Speaker 1: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean 7 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:50,000 Speaker 1: not on your own understanding, Proverbs three five and IV. 8 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:54,680 Speaker 1: Before I began a road trip to Wilmington, North Carolina, 9 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:58,840 Speaker 1: I prayed for a safe trip. In my mind, I 10 00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:01,720 Speaker 1: had a very simple understanding of how the trip would go. 11 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:05,639 Speaker 1: I would stay in the right lane, drive the speed limit, 12 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:09,319 Speaker 1: and stay completely safe because of my own careful driving. 13 00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:14,840 Speaker 1: But things changed in a heartbeat. On the highway, without warning, 14 00:01:15,319 --> 00:01:18,280 Speaker 1: a car merged into my lane right in front of me. 15 00:01:19,080 --> 00:01:23,759 Speaker 1: The driver wasn't paying attention at all. Cars were speeding 16 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:26,280 Speaker 1: by in the next lane, so I couldn't move over. 17 00:01:26,880 --> 00:01:30,840 Speaker 1: I was trapped. I had to slam on my brakes 18 00:01:31,080 --> 00:01:35,200 Speaker 1: to keep from hitting that car. Behind me, A massive 19 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:39,920 Speaker 1: tractor trailer truck was coming fast. I remember feeling terrified 20 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:42,640 Speaker 1: when I looked in the rear view mirror and saw 21 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:46,959 Speaker 1: it speeding toward my car. The truck came within inches 22 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:50,800 Speaker 1: of my back bumper before it somehow slowed down enough 23 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:55,560 Speaker 1: to stop in just enough time before hitting me. In 24 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:59,880 Speaker 1: those few seconds, my previous understanding of the trip was gone. 25 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:05,800 Speaker 1: I was helpless, but God wasn't. God knew that experience 26 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:08,960 Speaker 1: was coming long before I even started driving that day. 27 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:12,680 Speaker 1: He had already planned to answer my prayers for protection. 28 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:17,840 Speaker 1: Looking back, I realized something important. If God had shown 29 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:20,520 Speaker 1: me a video of that near accident before I left 30 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:23,800 Speaker 1: my driveway, I would have been so scared that I 31 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:27,200 Speaker 1: may not have taken the trip at all. But God, 32 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:32,120 Speaker 1: in his kindness, kept that information from me. He gave 33 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:34,600 Speaker 1: me the gift of not knowing so that I could 34 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:38,560 Speaker 1: move forward in faith. I'm so glad I trusted God 35 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:43,320 Speaker 1: to handle the details I couldn't see. Proverbs three five 36 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:47,400 Speaker 1: encourages us to trust God completely rather than relying on 37 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:52,920 Speaker 1: our own understanding. As humans with limited perspectives, there's a 38 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:56,960 Speaker 1: lot we don't know, but God, who knows everything and 39 00:02:57,040 --> 00:03:01,240 Speaker 1: can do anything, uses that unlimited knowledge and power for good. 40 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:05,760 Speaker 1: We can trust in God's goodness to us even when 41 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:09,880 Speaker 1: we don't understand what's happening. There's wisdom in being willing 42 00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:13,880 Speaker 1: to say that we don't know, but God does. We 43 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:18,120 Speaker 1: all sometimes face closed doors. Maybe we applied for a 44 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:20,600 Speaker 1: job we thought we were perfect for but didn't get it. 45 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:25,160 Speaker 1: Maybe a relationship we valued suddenly fell apart, or maybe 46 00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:28,720 Speaker 1: a plan we prayed over for months still didn't work out. 47 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:33,120 Speaker 1: Often we try to figure out why we replay the 48 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:35,840 Speaker 1: situation in our minds because we think if we can 49 00:03:35,920 --> 00:03:40,280 Speaker 1: understand it, we can control it. We believe understanding will 50 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:43,640 Speaker 1: bring us peace, But the truth is that we can't 51 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:48,320 Speaker 1: force God's big plans into our small human boxes. God 52 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:52,320 Speaker 1: works in ways that go far beyond our understanding. God's 53 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:55,960 Speaker 1: possibilities for our lives are bigger than the ones we've 54 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:59,480 Speaker 1: imagined for ourselves. When we choose to trust God in 55 00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:03,040 Speaker 1: situations that don't make sense to us, we welcome God's 56 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:06,440 Speaker 1: very best into our lives. By making space for all 57 00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:10,280 Speaker 1: of God's possibilities to happen. We can still be at 58 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:14,120 Speaker 1: peace when we don't understand what God is doing. Mysteries 59 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:16,800 Speaker 1: can challenge us to grow our faith in God by 60 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:19,280 Speaker 1: stepping out of our comfort zones and trusting Him in 61 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:22,400 Speaker 1: new ways. When we don't know something, we can be 62 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:26,120 Speaker 1: sure that God does. In the gap between what we 63 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:29,960 Speaker 1: know and what God knows, we can find grace. Not 64 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:35,200 Speaker 1: knowing something is sometimes a gift from God. Intersecting faith 65 00:04:35,279 --> 00:04:39,359 Speaker 1: in life as you consider why it's important to trust 66 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:42,800 Speaker 1: God when you don't know something, reflect on these questions. 67 00:04:43,880 --> 00:04:47,000 Speaker 1: What's one situation happening in your life right now that 68 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:51,080 Speaker 1: doesn't make sense to you even though you don't understand it. 69 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:53,880 Speaker 1: How can you still trust God to do what's best 70 00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:57,919 Speaker 1: for you in that situation. When did you experience the 71 00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:01,159 Speaker 1: past situation that didn't make sense at the time, but 72 00:05:01,279 --> 00:05:04,080 Speaker 1: God should you later how He was protecting you through it. 73 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:07,480 Speaker 1: How can that memory help you trust God with your 74 00:05:07,520 --> 00:05:11,440 Speaker 1: current unknowns? How can you strengthen your face and by 75 00:05:11,480 --> 00:05:15,120 Speaker 1: embracing mysteries and letting them show you something new about 76 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:18,919 Speaker 1: how God works? How can believe in that God's plans 77 00:05:18,960 --> 00:05:22,400 Speaker 1: for you are beyond which you can understand help you 78 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:27,800 Speaker 1: worry less about the future? Further reading Isaiah fifty five 79 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:34,120 Speaker 1: eight through nine, First Corinthians thirteen twelve, Romans eleven thirty three, 80 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:44,359 Speaker 1: Psalm one thirty one one, Ephesians three twenty. Thanks for 81 00:05:44,400 --> 00:05:47,760 Speaker 1: listening to today's devotional. If you liked what you heard today, 82 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:50,520 Speaker 1: we want to make sure you know about our sister podcast, 83 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:54,359 Speaker 1: Your Daily Prayer. When you follow your Daily Prayer in 84 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:57,560 Speaker 1: your favorite podcast app, you'll get a brand new prayer 85 00:05:57,600 --> 00:06:00,560 Speaker 1: and devotional each day, so your day's be again in 86 00:06:00,640 --> 00:06:04,160 Speaker 1: conversation with God. If you're looking to grow in prayer 87 00:06:04,600 --> 00:06:06,800 Speaker 1: or start your day with your heart focused on the 88 00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:11,239 Speaker 1: right things, search for your daily prayer in your favorite 89 00:06:11,279 --> 00:06:14,279 Speaker 1: podcast app and be sure to follow the show so 90 00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:17,880 Speaker 1: you get a new prayer delivered straight to you each morning.