The essential question of how a follower of Christ is called to trust the Lord has stemmed from the news of my recent job displacement. I know that we have a sovereign God, who reigns over all that has happened, is happening and will happen. In light of this awareness, I know I ought to trust in Him fully. I am sometimes quick to put on a facade of complete trust as I relay the uncertainties of my current job predicament to others in conversation. However, I will not settle for a facade. I want my heart to be aligned more and more to authentic trust.
In Psalm 33:21, David expresses a pure sentiment of gladness as a result of His trust in the Lord:
"For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name."
I want to experience the same harvest of joy and gladness that David did. The gladness that comes from truly trusting in the Lord.
This morning revealed that my heart was not fully aligned with the authentic, joy-producing trust that David describes. I was on my way to what is called "The Pool". This is the instructional placement system that the county uses to provide permanent employees who have lost their current position (such as myself) with a new full-time teaching job.
As I was glancing at this girl driving behind me on my way to "The Pool", my mind began to meander down this trail of anxious thoughts: That girl looks like she could be going to "The Pool". What if she takes the job I want? Well maybe she lives on the very outskirts of the county and won't be interested in the same jobs that I am interested in. But she's probably ahead of me on the list, I can't believe I'm second to last on the list of 30 other employees. None of the jobs I want will be left.
You're probably getting anxious yourself just by reading my anxious thoughts! Well allow me to put you at ease and say that the girl ended up turning into a Winn Dixie parking lot. Total sigh of relief.
But the very fact that these anxious thoughts crept into my mind so invasively revealed a lack of trust in such a trustworthy God. Scripture speaks on many accounts about what our trust in God should look like and why, especially within the Psalms:
Psalm 13:5- "But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation."
Psalm 20:7-"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God."
Proverbs 3:5-6-"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."
Psalm 37:5-"Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act."
Psalm 9:10-"And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you."
In summary, I have concluded the following things about what our trust in God should look like and why:
First, we can trust in God because His love is steadfast. He loves us so unceasingly, with a love that is incomparable to anything we could ever experience from an earthly relationship. Hopefully, we have all been able to experience the deep love of another toward us--whether it be from a parent, grandparent, spouse or even a close friend. And hopefully, from that experience, we realize that trust is indeed produced as a byproduct of knowing we are genuinely loved by someone. And since we know we are truly loved by God, whose love is unsurpassable, our hearts can lean against Him in complete trust. (Psalm 13:5)
Second, we should trust in God because He is completely reliable, whereas the things, people, and circumstances of this world are often not. We are not called to trust in "chariots and horses", so to speak. Everything on this side of Heaven is unpredictable and unreliable to some degree. But God, the one who fashioned the Heavens and the Earth, is one in whom we can place our confidence and trust. (Psalm 20:7)
Third, we should trust in God with all of our heart, surrendering our prideful tendency to trust solely in our own limited understanding of things. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
And finally, we can trust with great hope and expectation. Expectation that God will act, and will not forsake if we seek Him and commit ourselves to Him. (Psalm 37:5, Psalm 9:10)
My job situation is not grave by any means. It does not require the degree of trust that another's situation might. And yet, if we cannot trust God in little, how will we trust Him in much? Louisa Stead must have understood this to be true. For she was prepared when "much" came to call. She is the author of the hymn, "'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus", which was written in response to her husband's unexpected drowning incident. I will leave you with her words, for they testify to the sweet peace that can be ours as we learn to trust in our trustworthy God.
Let's seek to nurture this trust in little and in much--with minds set above.
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