Psalm 56:3 – Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. (NKJV)

One day, we received a picture of our granddaughter and her husband holding their little two-year-old boy upside down between them. We could see their legs and the boy hanging there, laughing. He was not worried; he knew that his parents would not drop him; he trusted them.

What is trust? The dictionary says, "Firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability or strength of someone or something." Trust grows when we listen to people who tell the truth. If someone promises something and keeps that promise, our trust in that person grows. We all know of people whom we can trust with even our deepest thoughts and worries.

This principle also applies to our God. Trust grows when we listen to God, and when, through prayer, God listens to us. God is not limited by time as we are, and we can trust Him because He knows what is going to happen in the future. We have to learn how to trust God despite all the evidence that the devil uses to try and convince us that He is not trustworthy.

There were so many situations in Biblical times when people failed to trust in God, and as a consequence, things did not go the way that they wanted or expected. In the Old Testament, Jeremiah lived during a period of doom and gloom, and his prophecies did not speak well of people who did not trust in God:

Jeremiah 17:5 – Thus says the Lord: Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord. (NKJV)

But then, the Lord follows with this great advice and assurance:

Jeremiah 17:7 – Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. (NKJV)

We are assured through faith that we can always put our trust in the Lord. One of my favourite hymns expresses that so well.

Simply trusting every day,
Trusting through a stormy way,
Even when my faith is small;
Trusting Jesus that is all.

Trusting as the moments fly,
Trusting as the days go by,
Trusting Him whate'er befall,
Trusting Jesus, that is all.

Singing, if my way be clear;
Praying, if the path be drear;
If in danger, for Him call;
Trusting Jesus, that is all.
       – Edgar Page Stites (1836 -1921)

Just think about it. When we are in distress, when we have worries, when things don't go the way that we expect them to — even when our world is upside down, just like our little great-grandson in the picture — then we can offer a prayer to the Lord, and He will hear our prayer. All we need to do is simply put our trust in Him.

Prayer: Our Father in heaven, You know when we are struggling; You know when we need comfort from You. We know that through prayer, we can come to You and that we can put all our trust in You. We thank You for this assurance, in Jesus' name. Amen.

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About the author:

Joel Jongkind <austria67@bmts.com>
Meaford, Ontario, Canada
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