by Ken R Smith, Keighley Quaker Meeting

We need to develop confidence in God’s love.

When we pray to God we can be confident that he does care for us and he will answer our prayers but not always in the way we think or even the way we want.

The important thing is that we trust God even when life is very difficult.

Our chief virtue must be our confidence in God’s love.

As we trust in this love we will learn to show gratitude, joy and living in the present moment.

In my experience it is easier to trust God when life is very difficult.

In those situations we feel powerless and we totally depend on others.

We then can totally trust God. Some years ago I was seriously ill in hospital. I could not even go to the bathroom without assistance from others.

Then I was aware of being surrounded by love; not only the loving care of the nursing staff but by the love of God. I was being held by God’s love.

It is that child-like dependence that we should strive to attain to in our lives As a result of our trust in God, God will transform us, so that more and more we will be exhibiting the virtues of a God-led person – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness, self-control and non-judgemental behaviour.