I want us to look at “Trusting in the Lord with all our heart” this morning. We all have trying and difficult times that we go through. And some of us are going through them right now, whether known to others or not.
And in our times of testing and weakness, we need to be reminded to trust in the Lord.
I want us really just to soak in the Scriptures on this topic; to immerse ourselves in them this morning to help us and encourage us wherever we are at.
And so we will look at numerous texts from the Old Testament on this. I encourage you to let the Word work its way into your minds and then down into your hearts so that it can transform you; your outlook and your actions. And also strengthen you to carry on.
We begin with . . .
The meaning of trust
This comes from the words that are used in our verses that we will look at in a moment:
- The word for trust used in most of these verses, means – “To trust in, rely on, or put your confidence in someone or something.”
- Another word for trust in our verses means – “To take refuge in.”
Putting all this together into a definition: Trust means that you rely on God’s character and power to take care of you; that you look to God to care for your needs – your salvation, your help and guidance.
It’s definitely not just a feeling. It’s a choice that shows up in how you respond; how you act in concrete situations of distress and need.
Now lets look at how . . .
We can trust God in any situation
First of all, when we are fearful of danger. In Psalm 56:3-4 David is dealing with the fear of what the Philistines, his mortal enemies, might do to him. He says, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?”
Psalm 91:1-4 says, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.” In the midst of the fear of snares, and deadly pestilence we are to trust in God to take care of us.
We can also trust God when we are oppressed; that is, when we are suffering under those who do us wrong; who mistreat us. Psalm 9:9-10 says, “The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.”
Psalm 31:14-15 says, “But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!” As the psalmist says, “my times are in your hands.” Our very lives are in God’s hands and so we must entrust God with our lives in these situations of trial.
We can also trust God when we need vindication; when we have been wronged and need God to intervene and make things right; to set things straight.
Psalm 37:3-5 is written about those in Israel who are oppressed by the powerful and taken advantage of. It says, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.” What is the desire of the heart of the oppressed? Deliverance and justice. The message here is – trust in God, and he will act for you.
We can also trust in God when we are confused; when we don’t know the right way to go. Isaiah 50:10 says, “If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God.”
The familiar and beloved Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “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.” God will show us the way.
God will guide us and help us when we don’t know what to do; when everything is all darkness. As Proverbs says, when we trust in God, “he will make our paths straight.” He will show us the way.
Scripture also teaches us . . .
What we should not trust in
These are God “substitutes;” what we are tempted to rely on in our difficult situations instead of God. Or perhaps, when we don’t fully trust in God. We want God, but also a little bit more; something else to help us besides just God. We’re not sure God is enough so we need some backup, as it were. Here are five examples:
1) Our own understanding. This is our own human knowledge and wisdom. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.” Proverbs 28:26 says, “Those who trust in their own wits are fools.”
God’s ways are beyond us. They are counterintuitive. They are upside down from our point of view. And so we can’t always trust our own thinking. We have to follow God’s way.
2) We are also not to trust in powerful People. Jeremiah 17:5 says, “This is what the Lord says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord.”
Psalm 118:8-9 says, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.”
3) We are also not to trust in wealth. Psalm 62:10 says, “If riches increase, set not your heart on them.” This is always tempting for us. We look to our wealth to provide for us and give us security. But God is our trust.
4) We must also not trust in military power. This is the power of the flesh, of human force and violence. Psalm 44:6 says, “For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me.” Psalm 20:7 says, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” God is the source of our safety and protection.
5) We are also not to trust in mere religious institutions. In Jeremiah 7:4, the prophet said to those who thought that God would not judge them simply because the Temple was in their city, Jerusalem. He said, “Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’”
Instead of listening to God and obeying, they trusted in a building – to their own destruction.
Well, if these God substitutes – our wisdom, powerful people, wealth, the military, religious institutions, if these are things we should not trust in because they won’t come through for us. Let’s look now at . . .
Why we can trust in the Lord
First of all, because the Lord is able to help us. Isaiah 26:4 says, “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” Psalm 62:8 along these same lines says, “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.”
God is solid as a rock – an everlasting rock, and he can give us refuge in any circumstance.
And not only is God able, God is faithful to help us. Psalm 9:10 says, “And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.”
Psalm 22:4-5, taking a historical perspective says, “In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.”
God doesn’t change. God will not forsake us when we trust in him. God comes through for us to help us. God will deliver us, or God will go through the difficulty with us and bring us out on the other side victorious.
Lets end with some . . .
Promises for those who trust in God
- Psalm 32:10 says, “Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.”
- Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of others lays a snare, but one who trusts in the Lord is secure.”
- Psalm 125:1 says, “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.” We are stable and strong with the Lord’s strength.
- Jeremiah 17:7-8 says, “Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” We are rooted and nourished and bring forth fruit even in hard times.
- Isaiah 26:3 – “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” God gives us of his peace in the midst of it all.
So, wherever you are at today, just as the Scriptures say – give yourself fully into God’s hands and trust in the Lord to deliver you, to take care of you, and to provide for you. He is faithful and he will surely do it.
William Higgins
Christian teaching 