The Tender Way of Trust
Just as a rose thrives in gentleness, the Spirit responds to tender confidence and trust.
Devotional Credit: Day of Heaven by A.B. Simpson
Photo Credit: Unsplash
A.B. Simpson draws our attention to the sensitivity of the Holy Spirit, whose movements in our lives are not forced but invited. He compares the Spirit’s work to love itself, which cannot be coerced but must be welcomed with trust and affection. Just as frost can wither the delicate petals of a rose, so even a small thought of unbelief or a single word of distrust can hinder His perfect work. This imagery teaches us that God does not call us to strike in frustration, but to speak in faith, trusting His Spirit to respond with grace.
The passage from Numbers 20:8 highlights the contrast. God told Moses and Aaron to speak to the rock, not to strike it. The miracle was to be a response to trust, not to force. The Spirit works in the same way. He is not subdued by our efforts or compelled by our striving. Instead, He responds to yielded confidence and gentle reliance upon Him. Simpson reminds us that we do not need to control the Spirit’s work. We are simply called to trust that His life within us will pour forth living water as we depend on Him.
This message assures us that our walk with Jesus is not one of fear or anxiety, as if we might break the Spirit’s presence by a misstep. Rather, it is one of tender confidence, resting in the faithfulness of God. Just as a child trusts its mother or a bride rests in the care of her groom, so we can rest in the Spirit’s unfailing love. The water of life flows not through force but through faith.
Simpson points us to the Rock of Kadesh as a living picture of our abiding life. Jesus is our Rock, and the Spirit is the living water who flows freely from Him. We do not strike to gain His supply, nor do we demand it by force. Instead, we open our hearts in trust, and the Spirit responds by filling us with life. In this way, the Christian life is not mechanical or harsh but tender, intimate, and continually supplied through confidence in God’s presence.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
My beloved, I dwell within you, not as one who must be forced but as one who delights to respond to your trust. Speak to Me in faith, and you will discover rivers of living water flowing from within you. Do not strive as if I must be compelled, for I am already given to you as the gift of the Father through Jesus Christ.
Do not let doubt wither what I desire to bring forth. Trust Me with the simplicity of a child, with the devotion of a bride resting in her groom’s love. My work is hindered not by your weakness but by your unbelief. Yet when you yield with confidence, you will know My faithfulness.
I am not far off, waiting to be convinced. I am the Spirit of life already dwelling in you. Out of the Rock flows water, and out of your union with Jesus flows all you need. Speak in trust, and see My supply. Live in confidence, and know My abundance.
Scripture References: Numbers 20:8, John 7:37-39, John 14:16-17, Romans 8:9-11, Galatians 2:20, Ephesians 3:16-19, Colossians 2:9-10, Romans 6:4, 2 Corinthians 3:17, Philippians 4:19.
Real-Life Analogy
Imagine a faucet in your home. If you strike it with force, you will not get water, and you may even damage it. But with a gentle turn of the handle, the water flows freely. The supply was always there, waiting to be released, not by force but by trust in the design. In the same way, the Spirit’s life within us flows as we turn in confidence to Him, not as we beat in frustration.
Today, when I am tempted to strain or force an outcome, I can pause and say, “Lord, I trust You to work this through me in Your way.” Just as gently turning the faucet releases the water, so resting in trust allows the Spirit’s living water to flow in the situation before me.
Prayer of Confidence
Lord, I thank You that I do not need to strike in frustration but can simply trust You. You have given me the Spirit as living water, and in Jesus I am already supplied. I rejoice that Your life flows freely in me as I yield in confidence. I rest in the certainty that You respond to trust with faithfulness and to confidence with abundance.