When He Calls....Jump!

Having a great relationship with God is obtained by having great trust in God. Just the very idea of knowing that He is there and He loves you and He is always working out the plans for your life involves faith and trust. And when we feel God calling us to something more or something deeper with Him, it can really put that trust to the test. It's a time when the enemy would love to get you to question everything, but it's also a time when God would like for you to close your physical eyes to the circumstances around you and let Him guide you through you spiritual eyes.
As I was thinking about the trust that God wants us to have in Him I just could help but to keep seeing this vision in my head that each of us have probably either been in, or seen take place. Picture a child, just learning how to swim and getting better at it. And picture a dad (or mom) in the water standing by the edge of the pool trying to get that child to take the first jump into the water. The parent stands there with their arms open trying to create and atmosphere of safety. Not safety because the child has been here before and knows it's all going to be ok, but safety because they know their parent is there and the open arms of that parent is always a safe place to be. And what does the parent do...they call out to the child and say "come on, jump! I've got you! It will be ok, I promise. Just jump. I won't let anything happen to you." And this is the moment in that child's mind that trust in that parent is either established or taken to a deeper level. The thing being asked of the child is not something they are familiar with, yet they know their parent loves them and even though this is scary, jumping into their parents open arms just feels safe. In this moment the child is not wise enough to know what jumping in that water is going to feel like. They aren't sitting there calculating the depth of the water and determining exactly how far over their head that is. They are trying to figure out one thing and one thing only..."can I overcome this fear and just trust that if I jump then my parent will keep me safe?".
As this vision played in my head the verses from Matthew 18 (2-4) came to my mind. Is this why Jesus said we have to come to Him like little children? Is it because He knows that the greatest trust a child should have is in their parent, and that is exactly the kind of trust He is looking for out of us? I think so. God wants us to leave all the things that hinder our trust in Him at His feet. He wants nothing to come between us and Him. Including our great ability to reason things out. The enemy loves to get us to do this and then justify it by saying "It only makes sense to do it this way. "I" think God wants me to do this, but this makes more sense, right?". But I ask, is that trust? I think what God wants from us is such a closeness that we know His voice. And just like the parent at the edge of the pool calling out, we recognize HIS voice above all others. Even a small child would know the difference between their parent saying "jump"...or a stranger. They wouldn't just jump into the arms of a stranger, they would be wise enough to say "You're not the one I trust. You're not the voice of my parent". How is a trust like this established? Because that child has spent more time with that parent since the day they were born than they have spent with anyone else. Are you spending that kind of time with God? Is that why trust is a tough thing for you? Do you recognize His voice when He calls, or do you question if that is really Him because it's hard for you to tell the difference between when He is calling you out...and everything else in this world is calling you out?
Trusting God fully is one of the most peaceful feelings I have ever experienced. And today if you have things calling out to you and you're not sure if they are God or not, then I suggest getting alone with Him some more so you will hear, recognize and KNOW the voice of The Lord. His arms are safe, and He will never call you into something unless He is there to catch you when you jump!
God, thank You that you ARE safety. Help us to live in that place with You where we recognize Your voice above all others and we KNOW it is safe to go where you call us. Quiet the "other" voices in our life that try to bring about confusion and mistrust and help us to meditate on You and Your Word when we are seeking direction from You. May we honor You today with our Faith and our Trust in You. In Jesus name, Amen