My brilliant friend Pastor Jonathan Martin made a statement in one of his recent sermons about how much it grieves God when we are suspicious of Him.
(Aside: if you’ve never heard Jonathan preach, check out his podcast here. He’s among the best.)
You know how sometimes someone says something in a way that really gets your attention? I’m sure the actual thought or concept behind what Jonathan said was nothing new. Basically, he was saying that we need to trust God’s nature. That His character is good.
But being suspicious of God…well, I’d never thought about it that way. That really challenged me. It shed some light on why I deal with so much anxiety. Why I can be a control freak quite often. Why, at times, I can’t even fully enjoy the blessings God has given me.
The symptoms of stress and fear have a deeper source than circumstances and negative events. They’re rooted in a suspicion of God’s intention and direction for my life.