Who Do You Trust?

Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
Psalm 125:1

Do you ever wish you could be like a mighty mountain and stand tall and sure – immovable - never shaken by the storms of life? Some years ago I read a quote that referred to standing like a mountain and flowing like a river. I thought of that quote this morning when I read the words of this psalm.

I want my life to have the flow of a river. That is, I want to be constantly moving forward in my journey with God. I want the flow to be directed by the power of His Spirit as He blows His winds across my surface and brings the refreshing of His rains.

But I also want to STAND like a mountain. I want to be steadfast – uncompromising – in my relationship with God. Yet, all too often, I find that I am "shaken." In light of Psalm 125:1, I must ask myself: Am I shaken because my TRUST in the Lord is incomplete? Or could it be that I have, at times, misplaced my trust?

"Most of the disappointment and pain we have suffered have come from misplaced trust. We have loved God and trusted people.
Some of those people have violated our trust. Now we must learn to trust God and love people." (Alice Smith, Beyond the Veil)

Disappointment and pain attacked my heart with a heavy hand a month or so ago in the whirlpool I wrote about yesterday. I’ve not struggled with such swirling hurt, rejection, and self-doubt in a long, LONG time. There were days my mind would hardly think of anything more than the "ifs, ands, and buts" of my struggle.

The above quote brought me to my knees and I cried before the Lord: "Oh, Father is this what I have done? Have I loved You and trusted people? Have I trusted others to speak Your truths to me and heeded their voice above Yours? Have I looked to others for the acceptance and affirmation You wanted me to find in You alone?"

Gently His Spirit brought the necessary conviction, repentance, forgiveness and restoration. God is SO Faithful!! He has shown me that many times my disappointment and pain in relationships is not caused by other people. Sure, I may feel hurt by their words or actions, but it is possible that the greater sin was my own expectation of others.

Do you know what the central verse in the Bible says? This is the verse that falls in the very middle of our printed Bible, with an equal number of verses before and after it. Wouldn’t you think the fact of its placement would lend a certain significance to this verse? Here’s what it says:

It is better to trust in the LORD
than to put confidence in man.
Psalm 118:8

I am thankful today that God allows other people and our relationships with them to fail us. Yes, thankful! Thankful – in spite of the disappointment. Thankful – in spite of the pain. You know why? Because He does that in order to teach us to trust Him alone! Thank You, Lord!

For you shall worship no other god,
for the LORD,
whose name is Jealous,
is a jealous God.
Exodus 34:14

I am thankful that God is jealous of our trust. He is so seriously committed to receiving our trust that He allows us to hurt and be hurt in our human relationships so that we will cling to Him. He is the ONLY One who will never fail us. He is the ONLY One who will never let us down. Even those who love us most will hurt us from time to time. And we will undoubtedly hurt the ones we love the most, as well. But not the Father!! He is completely trustworthy. And He is the ONLY One who is!

Solomon wrote:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6

How often I fail to heed Solomon’s wise counsel. How often I foolishly lean on my own flawed and incomplete understanding. Failure to trust God is a miserable sin. It is the sin of unbelief.

O, God; I believe.
I believe You are Who You say You are.
I believe You can do what You say You can do.
I believe I am who You say I am.
I believe I can do all things through Christ.
I believe Your Word is alive and active in me.
Help thou my unbelief!!