Trust
The dictionary defines trust as “ firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability or strength of someone or something.”
Our trust in God must include the eternal truths that He is reliable, He can provide all our needs and that His promises are real. Also, God has provided us with His Word that gives us guidance and comfort in situations that overwhelm us. We must learn to rely on God when times are good and when the trials of life seem insurmountable. God is always with us as we read In Isaiah, “ so do not fear for I am with you, do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God, I will strengthen you, surely I will help you.” 41:10
Certainly trust can become fragile or weakened if a person or thing we have relied on lets us down. Like a close friend in high school who decides to join a group that doesn’t want to include us. People or family members we trusted turn out to be deceptive in their actions and words. Or if there has been a traumatic event in our life like an illness, death of a loved one, physical abuse or someone we were in a relationship with suddenly leaves us. All these examples can cause a loss of trust. The damage to a person that has lost trust in someone close or by a traumatic event in life can cause one to question the reliability of God. It can bring us to doubt or even cause our faith to begin to waver and weaken. You may stop talking to God in your prayer time and your worship with fellow believers can diminish. This isolation can further deteriorate your faith.
Certainly one of the best examples of a person who could have lost faith and trust in God is Job. God allowed Satan to cause all kinds of affliction and trauma to test Job. We read that Job lost all of his donkeys and oxen and his servants were slaughtered in a raid. Another attack killed other servants and all his camels were taken. In another part of his estate his sheep and the servants with them were burned in a fire. The final and most catastrophic event was the news that all his sons and daughters were killed in a storm that destroyed the house they were occupying, taking all their lives. This combination of events would have caused anyone to lose faith and doubt God’s purpose for their life. They would surely ask, “why would God allow this to occur?” But Job remained faithful as he said “and the Almighty who has embittered my soul, For as long as life is still in me, and the breath of God is in my nostrils, my lips certainly will not speak unjustly nor my tongue mutter deceit.” Job 27: 2-4. So how do we continually trust in God during this life’s journey? We will continue this next week…..