Trust is not the way we often live it.
What do you think of when you hear the word, "trust?" Faith, trust, and pixie dust? A Trust fund? A trusty toolbox? In these circumstances, trust is an action you must fulfill in order to gain some form of reward or make some form of progress.
The first phrase, "Faith, trust, and pixie dust." implies that one must display enough mental investment, along with belief and magic, to fly. In this case, what is given by man means everything.
Secondly, a trust fund requires a particular amount of money to be given to a Grantor, where that money is held and will only be beneficial so long as the money remains within the trust fund. If fund falls through or the beneficiary mismanages the trust, all benefits are lost and the Grantor has no obligation to help in any way.
In the final phrase, trust is used to describe instruments which help solve problems. The one with the toolbox knows that each tool has a certain purpose and uses them in each situation. However, when there is nothing to fix, the trusty tools are rendered useless until they are needed once more.
Do you see trust in any of these ways?
Trust for you may mean trying to love God more, trying to be better; keeping anger, doubt, fear, and insecurity under wraps.
Perhaps trust is something you must bring to God only when it is polished and worthy of taking. Deep in your mind, trust is a commodity that you can never fully give, because if you break you end of the deal God may never forgive you.
Maybe trust is a convenient fix for issues, set in the toolbox of a half-hearted prayer and only used as a temporary solution.
Friends, a trust which is strengthened by man's strength and weakened by man's weakness is not trust, but self-righteousness.
The world has given us the message that trust must be earned. We are given a laundry list of necessary self-improvements by our family, our friends, social media. Sometimes the church claims if we trust in the Lord enough, everything will turn out all right. Where does this leave us? Discouraged in our disbelief and heartbroken in our own failure to live by faith.
But trust is not the action of mustering the will-power to believe.
Trust is surrender.
When you truly trust the Lord, you admit to yourself that you cannot meet the expectations before you. You surrender your desire to do things on your own and believe that God can and will care for you, keeping all His promises. 1 Peter 5:6-7 says, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you" (ESV).
Our sin nature drives us to trust only ourselves. Humility reminds us that God is loving, willing, able, and does meet our every need.
And when trust is hard, "Lord, please help my unbelief" can be your guiltless cry, because you serve a God whose love doesn't diminish one bit despite your greatest wanderings. He is willing to help you even when your trust is the size of a mustard seed or a tear-filled prayer.
Friends, when your trust is characterized by the recognition of your weakness, you are comforted by the provision of a loving God. Trusting Him will never be a wishful dream, a risky investment, or a useless purchase. This week, month, or past year for you may have been awful or wonderful. Regardless of your circumstances, do you truly trust the Lord?
I can't. There's too much for me to handle. The God who breathed mankind into existence, who painted the sunset and names the stars that follow, the God who calms the storms with His voice and tames the demons; who subjects disease to His healing touch and tore the temple veil to hear your prayers - He can handle it. Submit it to His sovereign and loving hand and see His work unfold.
I'm good; nothing's going wrong so I don't need God right now. Who are you without your Savior? To whom do you owe your blessings? Do not people trust each other all the more when there is peace and harmony? Think of Job and man's weaknesses. We always need God.
God broke my trust enough already; just look at where life has taken me. God is not him or her. God is not the job that dropped you. God is not the brokenness of your heart; He is the healer of your soul. Dig into the Word and seek the character of God; believe me. He is trustworthy beyond all things.
May God speak through these words.
With Love and prayers,
Sarah Matherly
.
