In Whom Do You Trust?

“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.”  - William Shakespeare, All's Well That Ends Well

English novelist Henry Graham Greene once said, "It is impossible to go through life without trust: that is to be imprisoned in the worst cell of all, oneself." I agree. It would be a very sad world to live in if we could not have trust in others.

We count on, or trust in others every day of our lives. We trust that the food that we eat won't make us ill; the water we drink is potable; the cars that we drive are safe; the banks where we keep our money are sound; the construction of our homes is solid, the schools our children attend are stimulating and nuturing. and so on and so forth.

Several years ago the economy took a real beating. When this happened many people were hurt, not only financially, but emotionally, as well. They lost trust in leadership, financial institutions, and even in one another. It was quite an emotional rollercoaster ride for a while there.

But major industries, financial institutions and govenment aren't the only ones that have lost some of their trustworthiness lately. It seems that as far as trust between individuals goes, we still have a ways to go. Sadly, even our churches are not immune to this. We are all only human, after all.

According to a 2013 Gallup poll, the majority of Americans no longer rated pastors and religious leaders' honesty and ethical standards highly. The poll revealed that trust in clergy had dropped below 50 percent. The decline of trust in religious leaders was attributed to scandals.

Broken down to it's basics one could say that when we're trustworthy people can rely on us. This means that we can be counted on to do what we say we will do. And that if we make commitments, we follow through on them.

Let me ask you, "Do you ever make promises you can't keep? Do you take shortcuts? Do you manipulate or withhold information to get what you want? Do you do rationalize unethical behavior to suit your needs or wants?"

The obvious question here is: "Whom can I trust?" To search for an answer to this question, let's turn to the pages of scripture; centering our attention on the word trust.

We find in the Bible that “trust” literally means “a bold, confident, sure security or action based on that security." In other words, trust isn't exactly the same as faith, which is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9). On the contrary, trusting is what we do because of the faith we have been given.

This is telling us that trusting is believing in the promises of God in every circumstance, even in those where the evidence seems to be contradictory. Hebrews 11 discusses faith, which is accepting and believing the truth that God reveals about Himself, supremely in the person of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Even so, the practical consequence of faith in God is trust, which we prove by living out our full acceptance of God’s promises each day at a time. What's more, it's by this trust that we are promised peace: “You will keep in peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you” (Isaiah 26:3).

The great 19th century American evangelist Dwight L. Moody summed up trust quite nicely this way: "Trust in yourself, and you are doomed to disappointment; trust in your friends, and they will die and leave you; trust in money, and you may have it taken from you; trust in reputation, and some slanderous tongue may blast it; but trust in God, and you are never to be confounded in time or eternity."

It's not that difficult for anyone to become trustworthy. In fact, it's within the reach of any who desire it. Without a doubt, it's a powerful and essential character trait that can prove quite beneficial in any kind of relationship. And yes, that includes our relationship with Our Heavenly Father.

Proverbs 3:5 tells us: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” This bit of scripture summarizes the Bible’s teaching on trust. Foremost, it is the Lord in whom we are to trust, not ourselves or our plans, and certainly not the world’s wisdom and ways.

In closing today, remember: We trust in the Lord because He and He alone is truly trustworthy. His Word is trustworthy (Psalm 93:5; 111:7; Titus 1:9), His nature is faithful and true (Deuteronomy 7:9; Psalm 25:10; 145:13; 146:6), and His plans for us are perfect and purposeful (Isaiah 46:10; Jeremiah 29:11).

More than that, because of God’s nature, we are to trust Him with all our hearts, committing every aspect of our lives to Him in complete confidence.

Scripture: Isaiah 26:3; John 14:26; Luke 10:27; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Joshua 1:9

Prayer: Dear God, in You I place all of my hopes, my dreams, and my trust; now and forever. Amen

Have a blessed day,

Patricia