Trust

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;
may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
2     May he send you help from the sanctuary
and grant you support from Zion.
3     May he remember all your sacrifices
and accept your burnt offerings.
4     May he give you the desire of your heart
and make all your plans succeed.
5     We will shout for joy when you are victorious
and will lift up our banners in the name of our God.
May the Lord grant all your requests.
6     Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed;he answers him from his holy heaven
with the saving power of his right hand.
7     Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8     They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.
9     O Lord, save the king!
Answer us when we call!
(Psalm 20)

Trust is a very delicate creature.  It doesn’t take a grandiose act or a lot of words to destroy it.

Trust is a important creature.  Without trust there would be no community (or at least no healthy community); marriages would not survive or thrive; friendships would have no depth and families would not be a safe haven.

Trust is a powerful creature.  It holds people, communities, marriages and friendships together when the world takes its best shot to tear these relationships apart.

Trust is a strange thing.

I mean think about it.  In Psalm 20 there is no logical, concrete reason to think or believe that God will answer us; protect us;  support us;  remember us;  give us the desires of our heart or grant our requests, but the psalmist bestows that very blessing upon the people (and us).

How can he do this?  Where does he get such confidence?

“Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand.“  The psalmist knows the power of the Lord and has experienced God’s faithfulness.  He has seen how some people put their trust in “stuff” (horses and chariots)…but those people fail; falling flat on their face (brought to their knees).

How can we have such confidence?  Why can we trust in the Lord?

Simply this:  God has proven his faithfulness through his words and actions (just read your Bible).  God has restored community through the death and resurrection of Jesus.  God’s power has already defeated sin, death and the power of Satan.  Therefore trust in the Lord our God is a sure and certain thing…something that will never fail.

“…we rise up and stand firm“.  Indeed we do!

Trust in the Lord with all that you are…knowing that God will indeed answer us.

Let us pray…Loving God,you have proven your love for us through the death and resurrection of your Son and our Lord, Jesus Christ.  Yet we all too often question this love…we question your faithfulness…we question your trustworthiness.  But you have always come through for us; provided for us; protected us and sustained us.  May we always seek your face and know your never failing love.  Through Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.

Advertisement