SWORD OF THE SPIRIT                                                                                               1210

“Trust”

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” – Jeremiah 17:7-8

A father coaxes his young child to jump in the deep end of the pool asking them to trust that he will catch them and not let them be harmed. Some children will jump willingly, others will jump only after much coaxing and assurances, and still others will walk away.

From an early age we learn to distrust. Whatever, or whomever we have placed our trust in – at some point in time they will fail us, and we learn to distrust. Unfortunately, this trust wariness is imposed unfairly upon our Father in Heaven. It is only through a close and growing relationship with Jesus that we come to know the Father and trust Him completely.

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. – Numbers 23:19; Lamentations 3:22-23

Notice in our reference Scripture that we are blessed when we trust in the Lord and when our trust is the Lord. The word ‘trust’ literally means to be bold and confident. It means to have a certain and sure security. We not only trust in what the Lord can do for us, but we also live, move, and act in boldness and confidence that comes from His abiding presence working through us.

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God; Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. – Psalm 20:7; 146:3

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. – Psalm 118:8

Note also that there is no fear or anxiousness with those who trust the Lord.

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. – Isaiah 26:3-4

The only way to unlearn our distrust is to grow in our personal relationship with Jesus through continual prayer and the study of His Word.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. – Proverbs 3:5-6

Our world is a crazy place right now. Our elected officials are not trustworthy and are failing us. Our financial investments that we may have placed our trust in for a comfortable retirement are tanking and have failed us. People we looked to for help in a time of need have abandoned us. We are aging and our strength and vigor to do all that we used to be able to do is failing us.

Only a close walk with our Lord will keep us from misplacing our trust in things and people of this world that will always fail us.

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act; He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. – Psalm 37:5; Psalm 112:7

May you trust in the Lord as He manifests His boldness and confidence through you to the praise and glory of His Name.