Trust - Part 4

Previously, Dropped in My Spirit examined the development of Trust in our relationships as well as how we might approach the concept of reconciliation when the precious commodity of Trust has been breached. In this week’s installment, Trust – Part 4 takes a look at what the Lord says in his word about the concept of Trust. We will briefly view Trust from the perspectives of God’s providence, scriptures on the subject and bible stories around Trust. Also, for additional scriptural insight, I advise you to review Scriptural References (NIV) – Trust, posted on April 19, 2021. This by no means is a complete list of everything that the bible has to say about trust, but it provides a place to start when delving deeper into the biblical implications of Trust. Please pass Dropped in My Spirit on to those in your circle of family, friends, acquaintances, etc. that you feel might benefit from reading this series. As always, feel free to add your comments, points of view and experiences. If you have not done so already, please subscribe to Dropped in My Spirit. Have a fabulously blessed day!

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Providence

There is only one source of perfect trust, the only being that we can depend on, no matter what. Perfect trust is one of the benefits of our relationship with the Lord. He has no ulterior motives, is incapable of betrayal, and does not require that we consider degrees of trust.

Let us examine some of the reasons why we should put our trust in our Creator. He cares for us. He loves us and wants us to come to Him and ask for His blessings. It gives Him honor and glory to have His children commune with Him, come prayerfully before Him, and seek His counsel in all our ways. When we truly surrender to His direction, this is an act of obedience. God loves it when we are obedient to His word. He rejoices when we submit to Him through total trust and faith in His guidance. He provides us with a safe place to pour out our hearts and is always available, always near, always willing and able to direct our steps. When our inner voice, which usually is the Holy Spirit, starts to warn us about whether we should trust someone or something, ask the Lord about it. Starting from a position of putting our hope and trust in the Lord’s guidance, we cannot go wrong.

Scriptural

Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and he will make you paths straight." This scripture is at the heart of trusting the Lord. These words encourage us to place our trust in the Master’s hands and not our own plans or desires. They advise us that we should approach the concept of trust wholeheartedly. It tells us that not placing our total trust in the Lord would not be enough. Our trust must be complete and leaning on the Lord will place us on the right path. This implies that we should not rely on our own limited abilities to fully understand any situation. This scripture suggests that no matter what we think we know, it does not compare to the Lord’s wisdom.

Be assured that if we do not rightly lean on Jesus, we might be disappointed. God expects us to support and be present for each other. This includes being able to trust. He also knows that we do not possess the power or discipline needed to trust each other or ourselves on the same level that we can trust Him. This does not mean that we are not to try and work things out in our own minds. Just like the limitations of others concerning direction and consultation, our own understanding has its limitations. We should be wary of giving our human ability to reason more merit than it deserves. This is illustrated in Proverbs 28:26 – "Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe." What is the source of that wisdom? Certainly not us. Trusting in ourselves in this context implies prideful self-sufficiency. Trusting in God gives honor and glory to His power to lead us as only He can. While we are working things out, we should seek guidance from the Lord. Included in the gifts that the Creator has given us are knowledge and wisdom. I believe that when we stay connected by maintaining a relationship with the source of these gifts, our options and opportunities, including what we might discern about trust, become broader, more meaningful, and more endless. Let us remain mindful of the God who knows all, sees all, has power over all and ultimately has the final say.

Biblical

There are plenty of stories in the bible about trusting in God. Noah trusted God to take on a herculean task of building an ark, moving his family into the seclusion of this structure, and living with two of every animal and creature that lived. Abraham trusted God’s promise that he would become the father of many nations even though he and his wife Sarah had no children and both of were advanced years. With a heavy heart, Abraham trusted God again when the Lord later instructed him to sacrifice the son born to him and Sarah. Abraham did not know that there would be a ram in the bush to spare his son's life. Trusting God’s plan and will he moved forward to carry out the command God gave him. Daniel trusted God that he would survive the lion’s den. The three Hebrew boys trusted that they would be delivered from an infernal pit. They all were delivered unscathed because of their trust in God. Jesus showed the ultimate trust when He sacrificed Himself for us on the cross. Although, in an act of His human nature, He asked whether His cup could be taken away, Jesus trusted God to the point of total obedience and accepted the will of the Father. Whatever we could possibly face pales in comparison. If God delivered these and countless others in their dire situations, surely, He can and should be trusted to deliver us.

We could also consider whether God changes His mind or whether it appears that He does so when extending mercy. Biblical characters who trusted God’s providence and promise seemed to have experienced a change of course when it came to their destinies. Hezekiah received a word from the Lord through the prophet Isaiah that he should get his house in order and that his death was near. Hezekiah cried out, pleading with the Lord to spare him based on his faith, devotion, and previous service. He trusted God to be merciful and grant him this request. God relented, healing Hezekiah and giving him 15 additional years of life. When he came down from Mount Sinai, Moses confronted his brother Aaron for creating a false God in the form of a golden calf. God’s first inclination was to destroy the idolaters since His anger was so great. Because of His trust in the Lord, Moses interceded and asked God not to carry out his threat on the Israelites. Moses reminded God of His promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to make their descendants infinitely numerous and to give them the land promised as their inheritance. God relented from His anger, trusting Moses to convince the redeemable to return to worshipping only Him and following His commands. As a result, the Lord did not carry out his initial threat on these people.

These biblical characters who trusted God’s providence and promise seemed to have experienced a change of course when it came to their destinies. Would these events have happened regardless based on His ultimate will and plan for their lives? Did something in their response to God cause Him to change His mind? Either position could be debated. I would be interested in your perspective on this theological question of God’s response to broken trust and broken covenants.

The series of events around Moses’ time on Mount Sinai reminds me of a story from childhood. I apologize in advance to my siblings should any part of these events be less than accurate, but this is how I remember the story personally and from its retelling over the years. One of my sisters (who will remain nameless for the purposes of this writing) was responsible for looking after us, the younger ones, when our parents were away for a few hours. Their instructions were for her to watch us. When my parents returned home, they found the place in total chaos, which was unacceptable since our father was a very strict and devout disciplinarian. When asked what happened, why were the children uncharacteristically running amuck, she responded that they asked her to watch us and, in her defense, she stated, that is exactly what she did. She watched everything we did and recorded it accordingly. Taking their instructions in their most literal context, she dutifully handed over her prepared list of all the shenanigans that occurred in their absence. She watched, we “performed”, she wrote it all down, and she presented her observations. Case closed! Correcting our behavior on any level simply was not mentioned, so it did not happen. Homicide might not have entirely been considered, but I believe our father had a Mount Sinai moment – his wrath and anger were clear. As tempers usually do, his rage subsided, and we were able to live another day, even my sister. An even more interesting result of this was that my parents felt they could not trust my sister to "watch" us again and from that point forward, I’m not sure she ever did!

Final Installment: Part 5 - Exploration, Invitation, Promise

Prayer

Father God, we thank you for your word, for your providence, for your everlasting grace and care. We ask that you help us along this road of life that we might draw closer to you and learn to discern and trust your will and your way. Amen.