Trust as defined by Psalms 56:3 and Proverbs 3:5-6

Psalms 56:3 - When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.

Interestingly enough, this isn’t a little child talking to God… Having kids, I have heard about a dozen
different versions of this song put to music for children. However, it wasn’t originally for them - this is David talking, a grown man who has seen hundreds of battles and thousands of people die around him. Not if, but when I am afraid.

If David, after all he had been through and seen, could still be afraid and know that he will be afraid sometime in the future, how much more me? Fear isn’t rational - it’s not based on the number of times we have seen God act and move in our lives previously, it’s not based on our experiences or failures or a realistic look at our capabilities… Rather, it is like the wind and rain; yes there are seasons where it is more frequent and seasons where it is less frequent but you can’t control when it comes; you can only control your reaction to it.

“I will trust in you” - Fear isn’t a choice, but trust is. And trust is a two-way Street - it is much easier to trust in someone who has already trusted in you. And God has placed a tremendous amount of trust in us, giving us His name. He even trusts us to the point that we are his representatives, His ambassadors, and His reputation on Earth will be impacted by our actions.

Lord, you are not only trustworthy, but I have seen your many actions of faithfulness on my behalf. You trust me with your Name and reputation. Though the things I face are big on my eyes, still I will choose to trust in you.

Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Interestingly enough, this pits the heart against the mind, almost the opposite of the Psalms 56 verse. That one is talking about fear (emotion) being overruled by an intellectual choice. This one is talking about trusting God with your heart (emotion, being) over the mind and what you see and understand. Together, the verses mean that no matter where our doubts come from - be it emotions or thoughts or reason - we can overcome them with our own choices.

Submit to Him - it is hardest to submit when you don’t understand. I know few people that operate at this level… Most of us wait until we catch a glimpse of what God is doing before we begin to trust in him.

He will make your paths straight - I love this. From the world’s perspective, they don’t understand us - we appear to be like the wind; no one knows where we come from or where we are going (John 3). But from the perspective of eternity, God’s path is the easiest and straightest, without the world’s detours of child support, broken relationships, sin and addiction, and the host of other distractions the world and Satan have for us.