Trust in the Lord

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5)

Hello, my friend…

Today I come to you confessing a weakness of mine: trusting in people. I have been accused in the past of not trusting anyone – and that is true to a point. Life has taught me not to fully trust another human person. Whether it was my years as a police officer, my service in the Army, my ministry, or whatever, I have learned that people are about as trustworthy as it serves their purpose. Cynical? Perhaps. Honest? Maybe. I don’t know for sure.

John records an interesting comment in John 2:24, 25: “But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.” This wasn’t meant to be a scriptural instruction; however, it does set a precedent for us to take note of. Granted, it took three years from the time of this scripture for His thoughts to be proven true, yet He was correct in His evaluation. Am I always right in mine? Not even. But I am right more often than I am wrong.

It seems when I am down, I turn to another person for comfort first. That seems to be the natural thing to do. BUT, I have come to realize that when I do that, I am giving that person ammunition to use against me later (if they so choose). Sure, we need to rely on each other and are called to support and build one another up. But I need to learn to turn to Jesus FIRST. When I receive bad news, when I’m having a bad day, when I don’t feel well – whatever the challenge – I need to turn to my Lord and Savior FIRST. I need to learn to turn everything over to Him and release it. That is the hard part – releasing it.

Trusting in the Lord looks so much different than we imagine. Trusting in the Lord doesn’t just mean confessing His Word, telling someone else about it, or mental ascent. Trusting in the Lord means I can trust Him to take care of anything that comes against me or stands in my way. When I get a bad report from a doctor, I can trust that Jesus is my Healer. When I am falsely accused of something, I must trust that Jesus is my Advocate with the Father. When I fail and sin, I have to rely on His mercy and forgiveness. When I can’t see any way to meet my bills, I have to lean on Him as my Provider. When Jesus confessed “I AM”, the full meaning of that Name is I AM whatever you need. I must dig into His Word and discover all that HE IS. That is the true look of trust.

The second most difficult part of this verse is to “Trust in the Lord with all my heart…” All my heart. ALL. I already told you that I don’t trust anyone fully. I have been burned by too many people – many claiming to be brothers and sisters in Christ. I have been hurt by family the deepest. “Friends” come in a close second. I’m sure this experience isn’t exclusive to me – you have, no doubt, suffered the same fate. So did Jesus. Having learned this behavior – this partial trust – makes it easy to transfer it over to my walk with God.

The clencher to this verse comes when Solomon wrote that we are not to lean on our own understanding. Again, I have learned to be self-sufficient (to the best of my ability). I don’t like to ask anyone for help. I don’t like waiting for someone to rescue me. I don’t like waiting – period! I don’t like having to rely on someone else’s knowledge about a subject. I will dig and research until I feel confident that I have discovered the answer I sought. Once I am convinced, it takes an act of Congress to change my mind. While that sounds good, I have come to know that if I feed on my own knowledge and wisdom, I soon become malnourished. My knowledge has a boundary. My understanding is even more restrictive. When I don’t know the answer, I will lean on my own “gut” feelings. And therein lies the problem. My past has shown me that, left to my own devices, I am a time-bomb waiting to go off. I am about two decisions from landing myself in trouble with the law or the church.

If I can’t trust anyone (not even myself), if my knowledge and wisdom are lacking, and if I am dangerously close to making poor decisions according to how I feel, what am I to do? I must look to the hills from whence comes my Help. If I am lacking wisdom, I am told to ask it from God Who gives willingly without condemnation. God is the Revealer of Secrets, He Is the One Who created all things; therefore, it only makes sense to go to Him. In addition to that, if I trust Him with all my heart, I can rest assured that He only wants the best for me, He will not play with me or trick me, and He will cause what He reveals to me to come to pass.

Today, my friends, I don’t know what you are going through. Sure, some of you I do. But maybe not you. All I know is that God is faithful, He Is true, He is just, He is all-powerful, and best of all He Is there – wherever you are. God gave His only Son, Jesus, in exchange for you. Jesus willingly allowed Himself to be killed at the hands of man in order to purchase whatever it is you need right now. He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities. Surely He bore our sorrows and by His stripes we are healed. I encourage you today to pull down the walls that keep God out, to release your fear of trusting Him, and let Him be for you whatever it is you need today. He is talking to you now if you will hear. Why wait another moment. Do it now.

Be blessed.