TRUST

This man is blessed because he trusts in the Lord; his confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8

If you are like me it is truly hard to know who to trust these days. Recently I bought a car - sorry, I don't trust car dealers - you think you are working hard to keep them on the up and up and you still walk away thinking - I just got taken. Politics today is another area where we don't know who to trust, or who to listen to regarding our government and future. I am sure each of you can list additional examples of who you don't feel like you can trust: friends, salesmen, car repair shops, children, spouses, maybe even pastors. Today in my GriefShare group this same topic came up - as they asked who can you trust these days? Simply speaking we can only trust God fully. But, I won't end there, let me explore this idea just a little more with you.

The Bible does not encourage us to trust one another; in fact almost the opposite is true. * Psalm 118:8-9 tells us that it is better to trust God than man. * Psalm 41:9, Jer. 2:37 paints the picture of someone losing our trust. * Isaiah 2:22, Jer. 9:4, 12:6, Micah 7:5 reminds us not to put any regard in man.* Jer. 17:5 tells us that our strength and trust should not come from man.
God also instructs us not to put our trust in objects, things, or our own strength. These things will fail us or God will judge us for our dependence on these things. (Psalm 20:7, Job 31:24)

We are to trust in God ALONE: Psalm 56, Proverbs 29:25, Jeremiah 17:5-7, because God will never fail us. If we were all honest, we can recall times when people have failed us or not come through for us when we were really counting on them. Unfortunately I can recall times that I have let others down even though it was not deliberate or intentional. It is very comforting to know that God never FAILS us; He never FORSAKES a promise (Psalm 145:13).

So what does it mean to Trust God? Let me just point out a few that come to mind. * Listen to Him (2 Kings 17:14)* Believe in His unfailing Love (Psalm 13:5)* Acknowledge who He is (Psalm 31:14)* Turn our ways to His ways (Psalm 37:5)* Believe in His Word (Psalm 56:4)* Believe He will help (Psalm 115)* Know His names (Psalm 118, Is. 50:10)* Turn over your heart to Him (Pro. 3:5)* Wait and Hope in Him (Isaiah 8:17, 40:31)

Now, before I end I want to go back to the beginning when I stated that the Bible tells us not to put our trust in man. And I know some of you are thinking, but there are those that we trust. God tells us that it is a different kind of trust, more a confidence in their abilities to help. We can also feel confident in some because we know that they are walking close with God and are His servants in our lives (Judges 9:26; 2 Thess. 3:4, Dan. 6:4, Luke 19:17, 1 Cor. 7:25).

Who or what are you trusting in for today? - For tomorrow? If it is not God and God alone, you are trusting in sinking sand. Put your trust in Him and you will stand on the solid rock when life gets stormy and uncertain.

LDJ

Lynne Jahns, Christian Counselor; Director, KESWICK Institute of Biblical Studies

DIGGING DEEPER
Psalm 103:22
22 Bless the LORD, all his works,
in all places of his dominion.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!

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