Trust in God

   “But God wants from us as it were a down-payment of trust.  He says to us: ‘I know you don’t understand me yet.  But trust me: believe me when I tell you that I am good and dare to live on the basis of this trust.’”  (Pope Benedict XVI)

   Trust is a strange thing.  We trust in things that don’t deserve our trust and fail to trust in those that do.  We trust the government to take care of things even though their motive is far too often selfish rather than for the good of all.  We trust the news media even though they often report only what they want and in the way they want it reported.

   Our spouse, our parents, our friends, our priests and many others are deserving of our trust.  Yet even there we find some who may abuse that trust.  Those closest to us sometimes betray us just as Judas betrayed Jesus.

   We trust many who are not trustworthy and yet we fail to trust the one who is always faithful; God.  God will never betray our trust; His only desire is our well-being.  Still we sometimes find it hard to trust Him.  We know from experience that we can’t always trust others and that may lessen our trust in God.

   As Pope Benedict says above, we don’t understand God.  We will never understand Him in this world.  When something we see as a tragedy or evil happens it is very hard to trust that God’s will is always good.  Simply stated, we can’t see the big picture; only God can.

   Like many others I struggle to trust in God when tragedy strikes; when my heart is torn apart and my world is in turmoil.  And yet I know, though I don’t understand, that all things will be for good in the will of God.  That is the down-payment of trust Pope Benedict speaks of; to trust even when I don’t understand.

Lord, You are a mystery.

I can’t truly know You in this life.

I can’t always see the good in Your plan.

Help me trust in Your eternal goodness.

Amen