There was a man who got lost in the desert. After wandering around for a long time his throat became very dry, about that time he saw a little shack in the distance.
He made his way over to the shack and found a water pump with a small jug of water and a note. The note read: "pour all the water into the top of the pump to prime it, if you do this you will get all the water you need". Now the man had a choice to make, if he trusted the note and poured the water in and it worked he would have all the water he needed. If it didn’t work he would still be thirsty and he might die. Or he could choose to drink the water in the jug and get immediate satisfaction, but it might not be enough and he still might die. After thinking about it the man decided to risk it. He poured the entire jug into the pump and began to work the handle, at first nothing happened and he got a little scared but he kept going and water started coming out. So much water came out he drank all he wanted, took a shower, and filled all the containers he could find. Because he was willing to give up momentary satisfaction, he got all the water he needed. Now the note also said: after you have finished, please refill the jug for the next traveller.” The man refilled the jug and added to the note: “ Please prime the pump, believe me it works”!
Is not that where we are all at? We are all standing at a crossroads reading a note asking ourselves, “Is it trustworthy?” The serpent in the Garden of Eden is a facilitator of possibilities. The serpent is anything in God’s creation that forces us to question God’s ability or God’s goodness. We have been given a piece of knowledge, an apple has been placed in our hand, what will we do with it? You know what I have discovered? Sometimes it is easier to trust God with the things we cannot control- things like our health, the future, or the decisions of others. Those things are out of our control anyway so we just let God deal with them. It is easier to trust things that we cannot control than it is with the things we feel that we have some control over. I can trust God with my future but my finances – I don’t know. I can trust God with my future but my career – I don’t know. It is easier to trust God with things that are out of my control than it is with the things that I think I can somewhat control.
What in your life do you need to trust God with? What is one thing that you are trying to control that you need to turn over to God?
Proverbs 3:5-6 (New International Version)
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
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