Originally posted 9/22/2020
When we look at the topic of trust, especially in how trust
relates to faith, we often have more questions than answers. What is trust?
What does it look like? How do we grow in trust? How do we know we are trusting
in the right things? What are the right things to trust in? Today, my hope is
to look through Scripture and try to put together some answers.
According to Dictionary.com, trust is “reliance on the
integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence”
When we look at trust we are talking about integrity,
strength, ability…having confidence in someone or something that displays these
traits. To get through day to day life, we have to trust in things: If I am
walking across a bridge, I need to be able to trust that it won’t fall around
me. When I am rappelling, I need to trust that my gear won’t drop me. When I am
using my GPS, I have to trust that it will get me where I need to go. For those
things, trust often comes with perception and previous experience. However,
when we encounter a situation where our perception is inaccurate or our
previous experience has been disappointing or traumatic, trust can be lost. The
integrity of the object of our trust is so important to our confidence. To be
trusted, one must be trustworthy. Trust, once lost, is difficult to regain for
this reason.
Psalm 119:41-42 “May your unfailing love
come to me, Lord, your salvation, according to your promise; then I can answer
anyone who taunts me, for I trust in your word.” (NIV)
Psalm 52:8b “I trust in God’s unfailing
love for ever and ever.” (NIV)
Trust is not a human construct—it is a command and a sign of
obedience to God. When we apply human terms to the concept of trust, we will be
let down. Fellow humans, and those things constructed by humans, even in the
best of circumstances, are flawed. Our perceptions and discernment are also
flawed. That makes for a tough combination when it comes to trust.
Isaiah 26:4 “Trust in the Lord forever, for
the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.” (NIV)
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all
your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to
him, and he will make your paths straight.” (NIV)
Psalm 37:3 “Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.” (NIV)
Trusting in God doesn’t mean that life will be easy.
Straight paths aren’t guaranteed to be smooth and without difficulty. When we
trust God, we are trusting His character, His strength, His integrity. We trust
that he wants the best for us and will see us through any and all
circumstances. We trust that we can rely on Him even when things aren’t going
how we want.
God will put people in our lives to walk through those
circumstances with us. Those people are human, and they are flawed. We are
human, and we are flawed. When we trust people, we have to do so with the
understanding that both our trust and their trustworthiness is imperfect.
Trusting people cannot be the same as trusting in God. It has taken me a long
time to understand the difference, and that has been the source of hurt in my
life at times. I am not good at trust, but I am learning. With God’s perfect help,
I am a work in progress.
Thanks for reading! 😊 EW