Trust in God

Trust in God

By Kelly Sankowski

Today’s first reading uses vibrant imagery to illustrate what it looks like to trust in God: a plant stretching out its roots to the stream so its leaves stay green and fruitful even during a drought.

“Trust in God” is a beautiful sentiment, but when push comes to shove, it can be incredibly hard to do. What about all the suffering people who put their trust in God but still have terrible things happen to them? Is it only in the next life that they get to experience the joy of that thriving plant, or the “bosom of Abraham” that Lazarus was carried to?

I struggle with that. Yet, trust is a theme I have been reflecting on this Lent.

Recently, I’ve had several opportunities to trust not just God, but also myself, and my past discernment and prayer. For Lent, I decided to create a Lenten reflection series for pregnant and postpartum moms because of the fruit of prayer I had on a retreat several years ago. I had to trust that the experience of prayer I had back then was real, and that this idea was worthwhile.

I’ve also been thinking about the people who had to choose to do good in order for my prayers to be answered. I recently learned of the passing of the woman who sold us our house. She had lived in it for 50 years, and decided to sell it to us even though we did not give her the best offer. I was 9 months pregnant at the time (literally, our house inspection was on my due date), and desperate. I wrote a letter about why we wanted the house, and something in there must have touched her. She chose kindness and community over greed, and I will forever be grateful.

So I can’t claim to know how prayers are answered, exactly, but I believe it involves our cooperation – both our trust in our own ability to hear God’s voice and the goodness of other people choosing to help us out. And I wonder if the rich man in today’s Gospel was the person God had been asking to cooperate to answer Lazarus’s prayers, but he refused to listen or act.

As we walk through this season of prayer and almsgiving, perhaps we ought to ask God how God is trying to use us to answer someone else’s prayer. Where are we being asked to choose love over greed? Where do we need to trust more in God, or in our own ability to hear God?

Fruit that Will Remain