Have you ever been to the circus? The circus can be a fun experience. But have you ever watched the circus through the eyes of a child? How they suddenly point to the sky as they notice the courageous men and women who walk, skip, and even ride bikes three stories above you on the high wire. They inch their way out onto the wire and for what you hope is only dramatic effect they bobble and tinker on the wire only millimeters from losing their grip.
The audience collectively gasps and your child grabs you and whispers “Are they going to fall?” You reassure them that of course not, these guys are pros. They won’t fall … you look up at the wire praying you didn’t just lie to your kid.
They finish their routine and the audience goes wild! Nothing like a daring trip to the circus to experience what it means to trust.
The performers trust that the wire will stay tight, their legs will stay strong, and their toes won’t let go. And the audience trusts that the performer will expertly complete their routine and not give anyone the opportunity to explain, “that’s why we don’t have a high wire in our backyard.”
Whether on the high wire or in life, trust is important. If we don’t trust, we might miss the opportunity to watch God show up and do what only He can do.
Throughout the Bible we see different people who have put their trust in God in the midst of some unbelievable circumstances.
Abraham picked up everything and moved his entire family to a new home and a new life following God. Elijah trusted that God would send fire from heaven to consume a sacrifice after it had been over-saturated with water. Even Jesus trusted God’s plan when He humbled himself and gave His life for us on the cross.
Putting our trust in God and the people He’s put in our lives isn’t always easy. That’s why we’re taking the month of September to see what God says about trust.
We define trust like this: putting your confidence in someone you can depend on.
There’s a phrase we often say around here, “I can trust God no matter what.” And it’s true; we know that God is that Someone we can depend on. Our own understanding can have a way of getting us in trouble sometimes, especially when life doesn’t turn out exactly how we’d want or expect. That’s why it’s important that our trust is grounded in God, His love for us, and His willingness to do whatever it took to have a relationship with us.
As we read through all the examples of trust throughout Scripture to find the best stories to help kids unpack this idea of trust, we kept coming back to one guy in the Old Testament, Joseph. After all, his entire life was built on his trust in God’s faithfulness. Joseph found himself in some of the craziest situations throughout his life, yet time and again Scripture tells us that Joseph trusted God and found hope in Him. So each week this month, we’ll take a closer look at Joseph’s life and discover something about how we can trust God and the people He’s put in our lives.
Our Memory Verse is Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding,” (NIrV). It’s easy for us to choose our own path, but it’s not always best for us. When we trust in God, He’ll give us the best path for our lives.