“I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return.”
2 Timothy 1:12 (NLT)
When I've got something that’s precious to me, whether it’s rare, expensive, or an heirloom, and I don’t want it to be stolen, broken, or burned up, I might take it to the bank and entrust it to the protection of a safety deposit box.
But whatever I entrust to God is safer than the most secure bank vault. He will take care of it—I can count on it. He has a perfect track record. Other people may not have a consistent track record of taking care of things for me. But whatever I entrust to God, he will take care of.
So what do I need to entrust to God today? It’s whatever I'm worrying or concerned about. Whatever’s keeping me up at night or that occupies my thoughts, I need to entrust it to the safety deposit box of God’s love.
Worry is practical atheism because it’s acting like I don’t have a Father in heaven who loves me and who can be trusted; it’s like I'm a spiritual orphan. Worry is unbelief; it’s saying I don’t believe the thousands of promises God made in the Bible.
For most people, it’s not easy to place things in God’s safety deposit box when they’re in pain. It’s hard to trust anyone when we're suffering, even God. I just want to pull back and hold on to it myself.
Paul knew this, but he also knew that when we are in pain, that’s when we need to trust God the most. He said, “I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return” (2 Timothy 1:12 NLT).
Personally I have a hard time and can struggle with keeping commitments. I will mess up! Thankfully, my salvation doesn’t depend on my ability to keep a commitment. It’s based on Christ keeping his promise and taking care of what I've committed to him.
In Summary:
When I entrust something to God—whether it's my worries, pain, or future—it's safer than the most secure vault, because God is faithful and trustworthy. Like Paul, who confidently trusted God even while suffering in prison, I can place everything I care about into God’s hands, knowing He will guard it perfectly. Worrying is essentially doubting God's promises and acting as if I don’t have a loving Father who is capable of caring for me. Though it's hard to let go—especially in pain—trusting God with my concerns leads to peace, because my security doesn’t rest on my ability to keep commitments, but on Christ’s ability to keep His.
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