I’ll never forget what D.A. Carson once said during a lecture.
I was on campus at Covenant Theological Seminary. I was there for a visit, and part of my visit experience was to attend chapel and a lecture. Covenant usually has a local pastor or student speak. But this time, they managed to convince D.A. Carson to come. I had no idea of this when I scheduled my visit, but was thrilled when I learned he’d be speaking.
Carson’s topic for his lecture was on suffering. He gave (I believe) six points for Christians to cling to during hard seasons. After the fourth point, he made a comment in passing that stuck with me:
God wants your trust more than he wants your understanding.
That’s coming from perhaps the best New Testament Scholar alive. That’s coming from a guy who spends most of his day in study. That’s coming from a guy who has spent most of his adult life pursuing understanding.
What God really wants from you, according to Carson, more than your understanding, is your trust.
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Here was Carson’s point: amid the trials and tribulations of life, God wants you to trust his character more than understand everything that’s going on.
Yes, understanding the Bible is extremely important.
Yes, every Christian should strive to increase in knowledge of God.
Yes, reading should be a high priority in the Christian life.
But on your quest for knowledge, what God wants from you is your trust. Not separate from understanding, but in conjunction with it.
So that brings it back to you.
Will you trust God with your future?
Will you trust God with your finances?
Will you trust God when everything seems to be working against you?
That’s God’s call on your life for this week, this month, this year. Trust — that’s his call on your life until he calls you home.
Will you choose to trust him?
