Trust

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT)

Where is YOUR trust as you make the needed decisions in your life today? What are the implications of the decisions you will make? How broad are the ripples of effect that will result from the moment-by-moment decisions you make? It may be as simple as choosing a parking spot or on which lane to travel on the Interstate, but make no mistake, it matters!

I was travelling on the Interstate late one night and had just passed a car. I made the decision to go back into the lane from which I had come, so checked my right-hand mirror. As my eyes returned to the front I was shocked to see a deer directly ahead, but in the lane from which I’d just come. Had I waited until I saw the deer clearly before entering the right lane, it would have been too late to turn away.

A movie I watched a number of years ago depicted the difference it made in a person’s life who came out of a building and immediately got into a cab and went their way, and the same person who came out of the same building but missed the cab and was forced to wait. What they experienced in those moments of waiting literally changed their life.

We too often make those kinds of decisions without even considering asking the Lord’s direction and wisdom. We wrongly assume we’re capable of making those judgments without His input, but are we? Tim Keller wisely noted: “Putting our faith in Christ is not about trying harder; it means transferring our trust away from ourselves and resting in him.”

Realizing our dependence upon the Lord isn’t only about the major decisions has been a game-changer in my life. If you think about it, what is a “major” decision? Isn’t it the result of many lesser, smaller decisions that have laid the groundwork for this one?

As a rule, trust in the Lord isn’t something we decide to have on a moment-by-moment basis, it’s a decision we make that becomes foundational for all the decisions we make. He doesn’t change, so there’s never any reason NOT to trust Him. He has all knowledge about everything, thus qualifying Him as the perfect Person to trust in guiding us in every decision we make.

Sometimes He works in conformity with our personal preferences, but sometimes He doesn’t. Our assessment may be: “So and so just rubbed me the wrong way! I’m going to steer clear of them!” But the Lord may say, “You misjudged them, reach out to them!” “Yes, Lord!” is the only appropriate answer.

Trust is far more than believing we have eternal life in heaven because we prayed a prayer, it’s a profound confidence in the One in whom we’ve placed that trust. Trust is only merited to the extent the person’s character and behavior justifies it. God’s character is without flaw, so we can trust Him without question or concern.

What about me and you? How’s our character? Do you realize that when we speak with someone about our Lord, we’re putting our character to the test? Implicit in asking someone to put their trust in Jesus is asking them to put their trust in us. Are we believable? Can we be trusted? I pray we can.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊