Trust and Assurance
"Zack" got hooked on crack cocaine and dropped out of our church a few years back. By the time he finally decided to trust the Almighty to deliver him from his addiction, he had wasted away to little more than skin and bones. Zach reminded me of a dog I once knew-a definite work-in-progress. . . .
About ten years ago, a mutt showed up at our house. This was a mangy-looking, malnourished, pitiful skeleton of a dog if there ever was one. When he ran up on me, I honestly couldn't see one redeeming quality about that dog.
As he moved through the yard, he remained crouched down, low to the ground, clearly afraid of human contact. Try as I might, I couldn't get within twenty yards of him before he'd take off and hide behind a tree. He just couldn't trust that I wasn't gonna do nothin' to him. And yet, day after day, he continued to come around, so I figured I'd better give him a name. Because he looked like he had survived a nuclear blast, with hair falling out and all, I decided to call him "Nuke the Wonder Mutt." There was something about Nuke that just challenged me-maybe because he wouldn't let me touch him. I mean, he'd come around, but he always hung back at a distance. . . .
In time, I grew to love that dog and I sensed he trusted me, too. He started following Lisa and me on our evening walks. Finally, six months after Nuke and I met, I noticed Nuke was right behind my heel. I turned, slow as molasses, and reached out to pet him. He hunched down low-but this time he didn't run. Cowering as my hand got near, he allowed me to touch him for the first time. Man, thatwas a precious moment. Maybe a previous owner had abused him. Maybe some kids had tortured him. Whatever the reason for his fear, we had made real progress.
Back to Zach-that young man who strayed from the Lord into the minefield of crack. Zach also had deep trust issues. . . Zach, while still struggling with whether God really loved him, had to be brave enough to put his trust in the Almighty to free him from his destructive path.
If there's a bit of Zach or Nuke in you, let me point you to the words of David. . . . In the midst of his trials, David said, "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him" (Psalm 28:7). That sure sounds like a guy who has been set free, doesn't it? See, the Lord can be trusted to set you free from whatever hurt you're experiencing today.
Taken from The Duck Commander Faith and Family Bible
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