Trust

A few months ago I heard the results of a poll that asked the question: "What is the most important thing to have in a relationship?" I don't recall what all of the choices were but I do remember the answer that got the most votes was trust.

Now, I understand the poll was mostly regarding a marriage relationship but I believe trust is an essential element to any relationship...to every relationship. A child, while learning how to ride a bike, trusts that Daddy will not let go of the back of the seat. A passenger who gets into a vehicle, trusts that the driver will get them to their destination safely. A father trusts a groom when he hands his daughter over in marriage. Every relationship requires a certain amount of trust. Some relationships require more, deeper trust than others but trust is needed nonetheless. Trust is something that grows over time. Trust is also something that can be lost...quite quickly sometimes, too.

Since trust is essential in every relationship, it's obviously essential for the most important relationship. Our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says, "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man." (Psalms 118:8) Putting trust in God to save my soul was one of the easiest decisions I've ever made. (not to mention also the best decision!) But how am I doing at trusting Him will some of the smaller things in life? Am I trusting Him to provide for me financially or do I allow myself to stress about it?

Last night, part of the message was about how we are given the choice of 2 roads. One road is straight and narrow and few are on it. The other road is broad and crowded. Well, as I thought about this subject of trust, I realized we have 2 choices here as well. We can trust God to provide all (and I mean ALL) or put trust in man (others or ourselves). Some verses from Jeremiah 17 illustrate a nice picture of those who trust God and those who don't...

"Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arm and whose heart departeth from the Lord" Jeremiah 17:5

Wow. I don't want my heart to depart from God. Instead, I want what God promises in verse 7 & 8:

"Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters and that spreadeth out her roots by the river and shall not see when heat cometh but her leaf shall be green and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit."

So I can trust God with everything because He takes care of everything. When there is a drought, He makes sure the tree's leaves are still green. I don't want my heart to depart from God, I want to be like the tree and trust God to not only get me through the "droughts" of life but still allow me to bear fruit in the end.