In God We Trust?

In God We Trust?

You are God, O Sovereign LORD. Your words are truth, and you have promised these good things to your servant.

2 Samuel 7:28

In his book Ruthless Trust, Brennan Manning tells a poignant story about the brilliant ethicist John Kavanaugh, who worked for three months at “the house of the dying” in Calcutta. Kavanaugh was seeking clear direction on how best to spend the rest of his life. On the first morning there he met Mother Teresa, who asked what she could do for him. When Kavanaugh asked her to pray for him, she asked what she could pray for. He said, “Pray that I have clarity.”

She said firmly, “No, I will not do that. Clarity is the last thing you are clinging to and must let go of.” When Kavanaugh commented that she always seemed to have the clarity he longed for, she laughed and said, “I have never had clarity; what I have always had is trust. So I will pray that you trust God.”

How does that strike you? If you’re like us, it’s a bit jolting. After all, we all want clarity to know what God wants us to do! But once we feel we have the clarity we’re looking for, we are far less likely to depend on God’s continuing guidance. In the last two days you have given some thought to the direction you want for your marriage in this coming year. You have begun to “set the sail.” And you’ve also considered your marital mission, viewing it as a kind of compass for where you are heading. And if you’ve done this with any sincerity and effort, you are likely feeling somewhat secure in knowing where you’re going and what you need to do. But we would be remiss if we didn’t point out that no matter how mission-minded you are, and no matter how clearly you see your goals, you are certain to stumble along the way. You are certain to encounter a jolt or experience dark clouds that seem to linger too long. In these times, it’s your trust in God that will see you through.

Read Deuteronomy 1:30-33 together as though it were written specifically for the two of you. Think about its imagery and how it can apply to your marriage journey.

This is our prayer for you as you’re setting your sail for the coming year of married life: that in the times when you have clarity and in the times when you don’t, that you would always trust God to go ahead of you and to care for you.

Courage, brother, do not stumble, though thy path be dark as night: There’s a star to guide the humble: Trust in God and do the right. Let the road be rough and dreary, and its end far out of sight, foot it bravely; strong or weary, . . . trust in God, and do the right.

—Norman Macleod