Thriving in the House of God

Life very rarely goes the way that I would like it to. It is a rarity when everyone and everything works together in accordance with my plans for the day, but wouldn’t that be nice? I mean if we didn’t have to deal with running late in the morning because we forgot the car needed gas, or we got behind someone who went under the speed limit, that would be nice right? If everyone was polite to one another and people thought about others before themselves, all the time, wouldn’t that be lovely? I don’t have any kids of my own, but for those of you who have kids, if you didn’t have to deal with a dirty diaper, or another mess made after you just cleaned one up, while you are trying to get out the door to get some errands done, wouldn’t that be great? The truth is, life is difficult. There are so many things that interfere with the plans that we have for ourselves, and quite often our plans don’t happen the way we wanted them to. I planned to bring a cake that I baked to a friend for her birthday. I didn’t plan on dropping it on the driveway in my hurried state to leave the house for work that morning. That kind of stuff happens all the time, doesn’t it? Unexpected things creep up on us, knock us off our feet, and put us in a daze. Illness, death, job loss, broken relationships, and financial hardships leave us scrambling for a new plan, when ours is left in shambles. Even the little things like a dropped cake take their toll on us and one thing after another can lead to an endless state of frustration and confusion. In Psalm 52, David says, “But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I will always trust in God’s unfailing love.” (8) To thrive like an olive tree means to stand firmly and confidently; resting securely in the truth of God's love and trusting that even when things around you are difficult, God's love for you still remains and He in his infinite wisdom has a plan for you that is far better than anything you could possibly even imagine. The bottom line is, life is difficult, but God brings us hope. He has a plan designed specifically for each one of us. We can choose to trust him and follow the plans that he has for our lives, or we can continue to stumble around in the darkness with blinders on hoping for a chance to make things work. If we trusted in God and knew without a doubt that he had everything under control, when unexpected things creep up on us, we wouldn’t fret or fear because we would know that the very God who loves us is right there with us every step of the way. He is in control when things are out of control. David knew that even though things were difficult, God still loved him. He trusted in God and his love for him. Do you? When difficult things come your way do you trust God to handle them? Are you like an olive tree thriving in the house of God?