Guest Author - Michelle L. Pendergrass

Do you have to feel God to trust Him or is knowing He's there enough?

My son has not yet had swimming lessons, but he wants to learn. We were on a trip recently and in the hotel pool, I tried to help him learn to float on his back by putting my arm under his back and getting him to relax enough to float while I was still holding him. At first, he wouldn't put his hands and his feet straight, then he neck was stiff and he was holding his head out of the water. No matter how much I told him to relax, he wouldn't.

I finally said, "Zane, Mommy loves you more than anything and I'm not going to drop you."

Doesn't this child know I love him? Why doesn't he trust me? With those words, though, Zane's body relaxed, he put his head in the water and he floated on my hand. I could see the peace overtake his body as he softened his muscles and closed his eyes.

Isn't that just like our relationship with God? Always struggling, wanting to make sure He's there, wanting to feel his touch and freaking out when we're unsettled and can't quite feel his hand on us. I think David knew what he was talking about in Psalm 139 when he said,

"You have encircled me;
You have placed Your hand on me."
and later, "Your right hand will hold on to me."

We're here, floating around this big scary world not really knowing how to swim, but understanding that there is a very real chance of drowning. Yet, all the while God's hand is on us and he speaks words of love, trying to reassure us that he's not going to drop us.

When will we relax? When will we come to the realization that it is enough to know He's there, guiding not only our lives, but everything around us? He knows the number of hairs on our heads and when a sparrow falls from the sky but for some reason, we can't just relax and let Him do His thing. We're straining our necks out of the water and sloshing around with our stiff arms and legs in fear of being let go.

He is not letting go. Not now. Not ever.