109 – Trust in the Lord

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. [4] Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

Isaiah 26:3-4 KJV

Trust is an essential component of any relationship that will stand. It is impossible to have true intimacy without trust. The word used for trust in the scripture is often, bâţach, which is a verb or an action word. It means to have confidence, to be sure, to be bold, to boast or to be careless (have no care) about something. The idea of trusting is that you are committing something or someone to another and letting go. It implies vulnerability and dependence, yet it frees us to rest from a particular burden we may bear. We can define T.R.U.S.Ting God as Truly Relying Unwaveringly Solely and Totally on God. This is what God desires that His children do.

God brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt by displaying great power and He promised to take them to a land flowing with milk and honey, Exodus 3:8. All He required of them was trust and their obedience. He guided them day and night and provided for them all they needed. Yet the people rebelled and murmured against God and Moses, showing their distrust. They longed for the seeming comfort Egypt offered them, not because Egypt was better, but because in Egypt, they knew what to expect. They had absolutely no control over the conditions in the wilderness and had to rely on God alone. A lack of trust on their path was in essence telling God to His face that He was incompetent to handle what has been committed to Him. When we chose to accept God as our Lord and saviour, He becomes just that, our Lord, the owner of our lives. Yet unlike other Lords who may use force, He woos us to Himself with love and speaks gentle and comforting words to us so that we learn to know that His intents for us are good and He is trustworthy, Jeremiah 29:11. He actually allows us to build trust in Him, even though He could demand obedience as our God and Lord.

The scriptures has accounts of His faithfulness since time immemorial. We see several examples of men and women who trusted the Lord completely and were not put to shame. Yet, there is a tendency in man to act in haste due to fear. Abraham and Sarah was an example. God had promised them that they will have a child, though they were older, Genesis 15:1-6. He told Abram that He had made Him a father of many generations, though age was not on his side. As a result, Sarai, due to fear that she was too old to have a child and perhaps trying to help God suggested Hagar to Abraham to have this child on her behalf, Genesis 16:1-6. The result was heartache that wasn’t necessary had they truly, relied on God unwaveringly, solely and totally. Because God is faithful, Isaac was born still, yet the mark of their mistrust is seen in Ishmael, the son of the bond woman till today, Genesis 21:1-21, Galatians 4:22-31. King Hezekiah in 2 Kings 19 was an example of what could happen when we completely trust in God. He was surrounded and there was no escape for him or Israel. Though he was afraid, he decided to put all his eggs in one basket and trust in the Lord and He was delivered without needing to fight off his enemies.

Isaiah 26:3 says they that trust in the Lord will have perfect peace. Isaiah 50: 10-11 says, if we wait on the Lord and do not have light (understanding), we are to continue waiting. Lighting our own fire will result in sorrow. If you have received a promise from the Lord and it looks like it is taking too long to come to pass, you are in good company. God however, has a track record of showing up and delivering His own who wait on Him. Although His timing is not the same as ours, He always shows up at the perfect time. In this time, rather than making a haste which leads to both physical and spiritual poverty, meditate on His person and promises. God cannot lie and to ensure He you have enough confidence in Him, He bound His promise to an oath, Hebrews 6:16-19. Beloved, wait for the Lord in the hope of His promise! Deliverance will surely come. Though the promise or the vision may tarry, wait for it. It will come and not tarry.

Prayer for today: Lord Jesus, thank you for proving to me time and time again that you are committed to me and You are faithful. Lord I am yet to see a time when a person trusted in You and was ashamed, yet in times where it looks like Your hands and face cannot be seen, there is a tendency I have to try helping myself. From experience, I see that this at the expense of my peace. Lord help me to trust in You with all of my heart and wait for your promise. I know I will not be put to shame.