Guest post by Neely Beattie

Do you have one little word? A word that you try and focus on for the year? 

My one little word for this year is trust. 

When this word popped in my head originally, I thought it was because of some health issues we’d all been having. Health is the part of life where we struggle most with trusting, so it made sense.

But as the year has gone on, I think it’s God telling me to trust Him with a few other things as well--things only He knew about when He gently persuaded me towards this Word.

Sometimes we’re presented with tasks or commands, and we aren’t sure if we can do them. Sometimes we’re right; we can’t. 

I’m learning that just because I can’t do something doesn’t mean God can’t. 

God always can. If I’m supposed to do something or if it's something that's supposed to happen, He’ll make it happen. 

It can be hard to trust when it’s something that you’re pretty convinced is impossible. Jesus told us in Matthew 19:26 with God all things are possible, but we can be pretty hard headed sometimes.  

Recently I was praying about some things I feel I’m not equipped for, and the word trust popped in my head. My first thought was no that’s not why my word is trust this year. And then I stopped myself because this word doesn’t pertain to one situation. It pertains to any and all situations. It pertains to life.

When we’re up against challenging circumstances, it’s easy to feel like we will crumble at any minute. It’s easy to want to retreat and say no way, Jose. 

Psalm 125:1-2 tells us trusting in God makes us as strong as Mount Zion. Trust in Him allows us to remain unshaken by circumstances and change. He surrounds and protects us, both now and forever.

This also makes me think of people who say "God won't give you anything you can't handle." 

Can I be honest? I really don't like when people say this. I have been in situations where I think, "No. I CAN'T handle this!" and people responded like this. All I can think is "What do you know? You have absolutely no idea how I'm feeling!" 

This is how I would reword the phrase: "Right now, you're going through something that you can't handle alone. This is your chance to trust Him, lean on Him, and find your strength in Him." 

Let Him make you as strong as Mount Zion because there WILL be situations we cannot handle alone.

Trusting God brings so much into our lives. 

• Peace

• Strength

• Opportunity

• Ability

• Comfort

It can be hard to do. I know we all know that God is faithful and trustworthy. We all know that He won’t let us down. We know these things, but sometimes it’s hard to let go. 

So, today I pray that whatever situation you are in, trust God to keep you strong and stable as Mount Zion. Trust that He will be with you now and forever. I pray that the trust you have in Him will release opportunity and life abundant. 

With Christ by our side, we cannot fail.