Jeremiah 29:11-13 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Yesterday I spoke about trust and what some of the symptoms that we might manifest in our lives because we do not trust God. I believe that frustration is one of them. We are asked to walk by faith, yet faith is the evidence of things unseen. It is easier to trust in things we can see and examine. Abraham was asked to go to a place where God would show him. The start was a leap of faith because God asked Abraham to move before He gave Abraham directions.

Have you ever driven someone to a place you have never been and you listen for their directions. Frustration sets in if you miss a turn. Communication is vital in making it to the final destination. It would be so much easier if we knew their mind, it would eliminate any errors in listening, distractions, misunderstanding. You would know the path, the way.

1 Corinthians 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.

Frustration for Christians sets in when we choose to listen to our thoughts and not His. Frustration sets in when we choose our path rather than His way. Frustration sets in when we discover our plans do not match His plans for us.

I find the issue of thoughts very telling in the opening verse. It is not God’s will, it is His thoughts. God’s will is paramount, it cannot be frustrated. His thoughts are something which is part of the communication process. He is willing to share His thoughts, but are we listening?

Isaiah 30:21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

God only said “Turn here.” Having the mind of Christ, you know left or right.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Here is another one of those “with all” verses. Is anything less than all a problem? I have a problem with all. It is a without limits and we are if nothing a people that are limited. We are constrained by so many things it only seems natural that we have never reached our full potential of all.

Maybe it is that “with all” is a condition of our ability. Perhaps “with all” is untapped potential. Maybe “with all” changes as we grow in Christ. Yet my problem is how does anything less than all affect my walk with the Lord? How does less than complete trust manifest itself in my behavior towards my brothers and sisters in Christ? How does it look to those who do not know Christ?

The first thing I have to admit is that having been one who could not even trust myself, is that failure to trust might be more of a reflection about how I feel about myself than God. I’ve had to come to a point in my walk that my self-doubt was not a hindrance to my faith.

Matthew 14:30-31 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

If we trust we do not fear and if we do not fear our faith does not falter. But where does it begin, with trust, faith, doubt or something else? Peter took his eyes off Jesus for only a moment and “saw the wind boisterous”. Perhaps it begins with our vision.

Trust is built in relationship. If we do not have a deep personal relationship with God, then our vision of God is less than perfect. We believe we know God but if we react as if our trust isn’t enough to keep us “walking on water” then we need to get closer. Only through a close relationship can we see things with God’s vision, His point of view.