Tag Archives: trust

In God We Trust

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There’s a weird way in which I love instability.  I’m referring to instability on a grand scale.  When times and events cause people to be uncertain, when insecurity is the order of the day, when political, economic and whatever other sort of turmoil exposes the ricketiness of all this world’s structures, then our foundation of trust in the Lord can be tested and proved strong.   

Peace, for example, seems to be in short supply these days.  Nonetheless, the words of Jesus are still there for us to read and remember:

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” – John 14:27 (NKJV)

But that peace needs to be taken.  It needs to be received intentionally through conscious trust.  And the Bible is so full of encouragement to trust in the Lord.

“Many sorrows shall be to the wicked;
     But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous;
     And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!”
                                                      – Psalms 32:10-11 (NKJV)

“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.”
                                                      – Psalms 37:3-4 (NKJV)

“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.”
                                                      – Psalms 118:8-9 (NKJV)

Knowing How to Calm Down

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There are times when our striving over a thing reaches its proper limits.  When this happens we need to know how to quietly trust in the Lord.  That unanswered prayer, that stressful situation, that massive uncertainty we have in an area that we feel we ought to understand better – all these may be areas we need to deliberately give over to Him.

David understood this and offers his own example to us in a brief psalm.  He intentionally calmed and quieted his soul, knowing that some things needed to be placed in God’s hands and left there.  There is a beautiful peace and humility involved in this kind of intentional trust.

Psalm 131

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

1  Lord, my heart is not haughty,
     Nor my eyes lofty [or “arrogant”].
     Neither do I concern myself with great matters,
     Nor with things too profound [or “difficult”] for me.

2  Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul,
     Like a weaned child with his mother;
     Like a weaned child is my soul within me.

3  O Israel, hope in the Lord
     From this time forth and forever.

Simple Trust

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Truth does not have to be complicated to be deep.  Our relationship with the Lord is often made strongest by the simplest, most straightforward concepts.  The Psalms are full of them.  Take the following:

Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart,
All you who hope in the Lord.
                       – Psalms 31:24 (NKJV) 

The first portion is something of a command: “Be of good courage.”  In any time of trouble or need, in the midst of any difficulty, this is what we have to remember.  It’s a decision not to fear, but to trust.  We can remain confident that our God is there, is watching, understands, and will give us all the grace and help that our specific situation requires.

Then comes the Lord’s part: “He shall strengthen your heart.”  This is a promise.  He is committed to strengthen your heart, to build your faith, to increase whatever courage was there to begin with.  The first step to “be of good courage” may have seemed difficult, but now the Lord supernaturally gives it momentum.

And to whom is this promise given?  “All you who hope in the Lord.”  No exceptions, no asterisks.  If we hope in Him we have access to the promise. 

Trust Him, simply trust Him.  Place your hope, your expectations, upon Him.  Our own resources will inevitably prove to be inadequate.  Let’s take advantage of all of His resources this day by exercising simple trust.

A Well-Placed Trust

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One of the great lessons of the Bible is that our circumstances need not be the big deal that we tend to make them.  If we insist that our circumstances be perfect, we will normally be disappointed.  Perfect circumstances are rare in this life.  Unpleasant circumstances can even serve as the springboard from which we leap into the arms of God – a very good, or even pleasant, place to be. 

A nice illustration is found in the steady flow of water in a river compared to the daily fluctuations observed in rainfall.    In extreme cases, such as those found in Egypt, the contrast is even better.  Egypt gets very little rain at all, yet has a long history of agriculture.  The Nile provides a constant source of water.  The secret? The water comes from rainy areas of central Africa rather than the regions of the Sahara closer to the Nile’s mouth. 

If we make it a point to trust in the Lord regardless of circumstances, we’ll be like trees planted near the water of that river.  Our lives can be very fruitful even in the consistent absence of rain. 

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
And whose hope is the Lord. 
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not fear when heat comes;
But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit.”
          – Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NKJV)