The 5 W's & the H: What 7th Grade English Taught Me About Trusting God

By Susan Nichols, Fellowship Bible Church CR Devotional team member 5/2/2018

Have you ever heard of the "5 W’s & 1 H—Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How?"  I think it was my 7th grade English teacher who taught that asking these questions when writing helps make sure the reader gets all the important details.  Well, I love to have all the details, so somewhere along the line, I came up with my own 5 W’s and 1 H that I’d ask God.  They went something like this:

“Who is going to help me?”

“What do you plan to do about this, God?”

 “Lord, when will you deliver me from (fill in the blank),”

“Where are you taking me, Lord?”

“Lord, why are you making me go through this?”

“How am I going to fix this?”

I asked these questions because I wanted to be in charge of my own life.  I knew what I wanted my life to look like and didn’t want to be patient with God.  However, the harder I tried to control my life, the faster it spun out of control.  I got myself into some uncomfortable situations and had to find ways to resolve them.  Of course, I knew I really had no control whatsoever, but it was hard to release my grip.  I felt vulnerable because trusting the people in my life hadn’t worked out so well.  I clung to Jeremiah 29:11, which says;

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  (NIV)

I had to realize that I could not manipulate my way into my ideal life and, my friends, neither can you.  There will be days that require the conscious decision to trust God. We’ll have to place ourselves, situations, and people into His care.  We’ll have to trust that His intentions toward us are only good.  Yes, not knowing what He’s doing is difficult; however, He never changes.  He still plans to give us hope and a future.

What can we do when we find we’ve been questioning God—Who?, What?, When?, Where?, Why?, and How?  We can decide to trust Him, which will deepen our faith in and walk with Him.  We can also re-write the 5W’s & 1H to reflect our ever-deepening trust in Him:

•  "Who is like You among the gods, O LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders?” (Exodus 15:11)
•  “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)
•  “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”  (Isaiah 43:2)
•  “Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.”  (Romans 5:2)
•  “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?”  (Matthew 6:25)
•  “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”  (Matthew 7:11)

For More Encouragement:                                                                                                                                    Psalm 56:3, Philippians 4:6-7, Psalm 94:19, Isaiah 43:12, 1 Peter 5:6-7.

*Click HERE to listen to "Heart Wide Open" by Mack Brock

Dear Heavenly Father,

I praise you for being All-Wise and All-Knowing!  You are God alone—there is no one like you!  You alone know what is best for me and you have truly been a good father to me.  You’ve never left me nor forsaken me, even when I’ve been stubborn and rebellious, learning my lessons the hard way.  Help me to continually trust you in everything.  I give to you, right now, every situation and person I’ve been trying to control.  I place them at your feet and say, “Your will be done!”  Thank you, God, for your goodness to me!   ~~Amen