“Do you trust me? Do you trust me?!” Yessss…?” “Then JUMP!”
That’s a quote from the ol’ Disney classic, Aladdin. A conversation between Aladdin and Jasmine that I have had all too frequently with God.
You see, the Lord has been teaching me a lot about trust through some recent circumstances in my life. About who I trust and what I trust. About how readily I give my trust. Even the degree to which I consciously or unconsciously trust something. Let me give you a few examples.
I go to a chiropractor for overall health and wellness, and trust that he will make the correct adjustment to my spine because he’s had years of education and experience. When I get my hair cut, I trust that my stylist knows what she’s doing when she takes those sharp shears to my hair because she’s had lots of training. When I drive, I make an unconscious decision to trust that the factory that manufactured my car has installed all the right parts to get me from point A to point B because the engineers are way smarter than I could understand. I even trust that when I go to get my eyebrows threaded {crazy…yes; effective…most definitely}, the beautiful Egyptian woman, skillfully working what looks like heavy duty dental floss, will not rip out all the hairs on my face and let me walk out of there looking like a fool.
If I can trust these people, people I barely know or have never met, why on earth is it so difficult sometimes for me to trust the One who knows me perfectly. The One who gives ultimate healing, the One who defines beauty, the One who is my safe place. I’ve had to walk through some circumstances in life that required me to make a choice to trust God. To trust His timing, His character, His plan, His heart.
Merriam-Webster defines trust as “assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something.” Over and over again in Scripture, God has given us evidence of his perfect character, ability, strength and truth. I can trust him because He has testified about himself in Scripture. Isaiah 47:4 declares, “Our Redeemer—the Lord Almighty is his name— is the Holy One of Israel.” God proves his trustworthiness through countless men and women in Scripture, and he does so in my own life through relationships and life experiences.
Scripture goes on to tell us that God is might to save, our healer, our redeemer, our friend, and our Savior.
Those are pretty strong characteristics and truths about who God is. Much stronger than the people on earth I put my trust in. I can be assured that when I place my trust in Jesus, he will never let me down. I can trust God because He is who He says He is.
Trust conveys a certain “letting go.” It requires complete confidence in something else. It requires relinquishing an independent, “I’ve got this” mentality and assuming a dependent frame of mind, attitude and behavior.
When we choose to place our trust in something other than this Sovereign God, the Holy One, we choose to walk a road of independence apart from God, rather than dependence on the One who made us, knows us and loves us. My challenge to you is to make a declaration of dependence. Declare that you trust him regardless because He knows what our days hold before any of them came to pass. Trusting in yourself or anything other than the Lord will end in disappointment, dissatisfaction, emptiness and frustration. Trusting in Jesus leads to peace that passes understanding, blessing, direction, and assurance that He is in control and has our best interest at heart. For our good and for His glory.
The following verses may be very familiar to you, but don’t let their familiarity cause you to treat them casually. Be encouraged by them. Be confident in the trustworthy character of our God.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (The Message)
Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.
Psalm 9:10 (NLT)
Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O LORD, do not abandon those who search for you.
Psalm 20:7 (NIV)
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
John 14:1 (NLT)
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.”
Romans 15:13 (NIV)
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 2:20b (NLT)
…So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Ephesians 3:17 (NLT)
Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.
In His Great Love,
Lori