Trust

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”  Proverbs 3:5-6

I know I have written several times about trust....but allow me to write a bit more on it.

 Trust.  It is something for which all of us need to strive.  It is something the Lord commands.  It is a simple word, yet in it endless complexities exist and numerous struggles come out of that one single word. 

I have never been very good at trust.  It takes me years to trust someone, and in a manner of seconds someone can lose my trust.  Oftentimes I forget that Jesus is not a “someone.”  Jesus is fully trustworthy, and He is truly everything.  So why is it so hard to trust?  Psalm 118 speaks of the difference between God and man, and who we should put our trust in.  “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.  It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.”  (Psalm 118:8-9)

Trusting God means relinquishing everything.  A friend of mine has often told me to “Let go, let God.”  It sounds simple, right?  It should be simple.  Christ was the one who came to earth, for sinners, and died – He gave everything.  The least we, as Christians, can do is to give Him everything – no matter how little or big it is.  However, to “Let go and let God” means admitting that I have no control.  Admitting that I can do nothing.  Giving everything to God is something Paul talks about in Romans.

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 Romans 11:33-12:2 says this, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! […]  For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever.  Amen.  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

There are several concepts in Romans that can be applied to trust.  In Romans 11:33 it clearly states that no human can ever fathom God’s ways, knowledge, and wisdom.  He knows everything, and His path and will are the best for everyone.  It is when we turn our back on Him that things go awry.  Futhermore, in Romans 12, Paul begs us to give everything to God – down to our bodies being a living sacrifice for Him. Trusting Him is one of the least things we can do to show Him our dedication and gratefulness for all He has done for us.

Sometimes I become worried that if I relinquish control that I will not get what I want.  A selfish human desire.  However, by turning things over to God, trusting Him, and praying is something else that the Bible incorporates as a theme.  Furthermore, if we trust Him and if it is His will, He will grant us the desires of our heart.  “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.  Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.  He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.  Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.”  (Psalm 37:3-7)

          At times I am scared to trust (terrified might be a better word).  There are several references that show us that trusting God should be our Comforter, Refuge, and Strength, not the other way around.  

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 “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid…”  Isaiah 12:2a

“Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.  In God (I will praise His word), in God I have put my trust; I will not fear.”  Psalm 56:3-4

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.”  Psalm 91:1-2

          My times are in His hands.  “But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’  My times are in Your hand….”  (Psalm 31:14-15a) 

Trusting Him is the only way that I will find peace.  “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.  Trust in the Lord forever, for in YAH, the Lord, is everlasting strength.”  (Isaiah 26:3-4)

God’s way is perfect and far superior to man’s.  “As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust Him.” (Psalm 18:30)

“Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust…”  Psalm 40:4a