Build Your Life on Faith
The Fellowship | March 15, 2019
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding; — Proverbs 3:5
In loving memory of my father, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, I share with you his devotions expressing his passion for family, for passing on his faith, and the importance of living a faith-filled life.
— Yael Eckstein, President
An inspiring story is told about a woman who survived the Holocaust after witnessing her entire family taken away to the death camps. She made her way to America where she married and looked forward to rebuilding a family of her own. Yet, 12 years had passed, and the woman was not blessed with any children. One day, her doctor said to her, “I’m telling you this for your own good: Give up! You will never have a child. It’s time to move on.”
The woman left the doctor’s office understandably depressed. She boarded the bus, but when her stop came, she didn’t get off. She spent the entire day on that bus in a state of despair until finally the driver informed her that the day was done, and he was taking the bus into the garage. He said, “Listen, lady, I’ve had a hard day. I don’t know what your problem is, but you’re not going to solve it by staying on this bus.”
The woman got off the bus and quietly prayed, “Master of the world, You were with me all along. You saved my life countless times. You brought me here. You let me start my life over, and so it is in Your hands. I have no right to give up. The bus driver is absolutely right — You didn’t save my life for me to live on this bus. I won’t stop serving You no matter what, and I also won’t give up.”
One year later, the woman had a baby — a son. Her son grew up and had grandchildren of his own. By the time the woman passed away, she had enough great-grandchildren to make the doctor’s hair stand on end!
In Proverbs we read, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” The original Hebrew reveals a deeper understanding of this popular verse. Instead of saying “Trust in the LORD,” the verse literally reads: “Trust toward the LORD.”
This anomaly prompted the Jewish sages to teach that our faith in God cannot live in the past. Rather we have to use our past experiences of God’s providence to build a future based on faith. As we move toward the future, we must trust God. We must anticipate a future shaped and created perfectly by our faithful God.
Today, let’s be encouraged to trust God for a bright future. Never stop praying, hoping, and believing that good things are in store for us. When making decisions about the future, we must always include God, knowing that nothing is possible without Him, but with Him anything can happen.