The Spirit of Trust 

By Marielos Lewu 

Miami, Florida USA 

Scripture: Luke 1:38 

Fear can be a good thing. It’s a smart thing. God has blessed us with a sense of fearful discernment. He even commands us to fear Him. That’s wise. Fear is our body’s natural mechanism to protect us from harm and danger. But fear can also paralyze us. It can quickly turn from discernment to faithlessness. It can make us do crazy, sometimes irrational things. I once locked myself in my room because I heard a noise in my house. I waited three hours for someone to come home, only to realize that it was my new, fancy robot vacuum cleaning my floors!

More often than not, the type of fear we are responding to is the latter--the fear that God commands against. Sometimes it shows up as “what if…happens.” An ever-present sense of doom. Not just an unknown noise in your home, but an anxious ringing within your spirit.

We live in a world that almost glamorizes fear. Just turn on any local news station and you’ll see what I am talking about. With the age of social media, we have more information than ever on what we can fear. But how do we tell the difference between something that is dangerous versus something that is harmless? How can we be discerning and trusting God while not allowing fear to lead us? 

I am inspired by Mary’s response in the beginning of the book of Luke, when the angel Gabriel delivers the news that she will conceive Jesus. Mary’s response to the angel is astonishing. Instead of responding in fear, Mary responded with a spirit of trust. Think about it: A virgin was called to trust that she would have a baby by the Spirit! As I write this, I’m pregnant with my first child and that sounds crazy. The “what if” questions can cloud my brain. If I were Mary, I probably would have been thinking, “What will people say?” More than anything, “How will my fiancé respond?” (Matthew 1:18-19). Not to mention, she is faced with the pressure of carrying and raising the Savior of the whole world! Yet she didn’t allow fear to paralyze her; instead, she embraced God’s call and received it with a spirit of trust.

How did she do it? My guess is that she had to make a decision to entrust herself to God and not to people (or herself). Mary believed God, even though what was said seemed humanly impossible. The angel’s news could’ve invoked fear, but Mary decided to trust God, and it became one her greatest blessings. She trusted God over all of the “what ifs.” She trusted God despite the ringing questions within. 

Personally, this is one of the most valuable lessons I’ve had to learn in my spiritual walk: Trust God in fearful situations. A little over a year and a half ago, I got married. It was exciting, but if I’m honest I almost missed out on one of God’s biggest blessings in my life because of fear. I was paralyzed by fear and the idea of marriage scared me. My past led me to believe that a healthy marriage was impossible. Even after seeing God answer many specific prayers, I still hesitated. After much advice and encouragement, I had a heart-to-heart with God and realized that it wasn’t about trusting man, but about trusting my God. I realized that trusting God’s word, like Mary did with the angel, was greater than what I thought was impossible. It hit me that even if my worst fears were to come true, God would still be God. His promises would still remain. I believe Mary knew this and lived by this. We’re highlighting her for this--her trust in God. It’s what allowed her to take on such a calling. 

Let us imitate Mary’s spirit of trust instead of allowing fear to paralyze us. Let us learn to deepen our trust and faithfulness in the One who is forever faithful (2 Timothy 2:13). Let’s respond like Mary, “I’m here! The Lord’s servant! Let it happen for me just as you have said!” (Luke 1:38).

Questions for Reflection: 

1.     What are fears that stop you from trusting God? 
2.     In what ways can you start to surrender those fears? 
3.     What are some promises in scripture you can use to develop this spirit of trust?