Trust In The Lord With All Your Heart

"Today's Devotion" For November 4, 2005

Read: Proverbs 3:1-8; Psalm 25

TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART

"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)

"Who do you trust?" Now that's a good question. From around 1958 to 1963 there was a television game show by that name, hosted for most of its run by Johnny Carson. A team of two players would be selected and then asked various questions. The crux of the show was the (yes, it's true) grammatically incorrect question, "Who do you trust?" to which question the players would answer which one of them they depended on to have the correct answer. Interestingly enough, if I remember correctly (I was between 6 and 11 years old when I was watching the program), I believe the two players were strangers to each other.

"Who(m) do you trust?" is certainly an interesting question when we consider our lives in the world today as well. Trust seems to be in short supply. Politicians ask us to trust them at election time, but we're pretty certain that, for the most part, they rarely live up to their election promises. Manufacturers ask us to trust their products, as they seek to convince us to purchase them, and how often don't we find that those products under deliver on their promises. The list could go on and on. Right now there's a dearth of trust in the oil companies because they're accused of raking in "obscene" profits on the backs of consumers during a time of crisis. The Republicans don't trust the Democrats; the Democrats don't trust the Republicans; the nation isn't sure it can trust any of them. The recent indictment of the Vice President's chief of staff by a federal grand jury has cast more doubt on the reliability of the current administration. The nomination of a new Supreme Court Justice, well qualified but seen as too conservative by some, has cast further doubts on the fairness of the nominating process and the constitutional meaning of "advise and consent" between the Senate and the President.

Trust seems to be in short supply these days. Can we truly trust anything or anybody? Who can we be sure is telling us the truth? How can we be certain that life will get better and not worse? When the situation of life gets difficult and the unknown becomes overwhelming our need to have something or someone to depend upon - to trust - becomes even more pronounced. How we long to be able to depend on someone or something to provide certainty and stability in our lives.

It's to this very valid and overwhelming need that Solomon addresses in Proverbs 3. In the midst of the troubles and uncertainties of life, we can be certain of one thing - God is trustworthy. Our Father in heaven desires and invites our trust in Him, calling us to trust His wisdom and purpose for our lives. He calls us in Jesus Christ to Himself that we might have a sure and certain hope, that in the face of every challenge and trial we face in life, that in Jesus we know our sins are forgiven, that we are always held in the palm of God's hand, and that we will be with Him forever in heaven. While all around us we find reasons to mistrust and question, where people have scores of answers to serious issues of life but no reliability behind those answers, we can be certain that our Father in heaven has not left us to deal with them alone. His Word and Spirit are always there to guide us, guard us, and keep us in Him. So when people ask us "Who(m) do you trust?" we can say, "I trust in the Lord with all my heart" and so should you.

Prayer: Father, I thank You that in the midst of a world full of uncertainties that You're love for me is the one sure, dependable, and trustworthy thing in my life. You make my life bearable as You bring me to Yourself in Jesus Christ. You have kept every promise You have ever made. Your salvation for me and the world in Jesus is sure and certain and trumps any other "salvation" the world might try to offer. By the power of Your Word and Spirit give me the strength of faith to continue to trust in You for all things in my life. Help me to overcome my own tendency to think I know better than You what's good and right for my life. Strengthen my faith that I might not only trust in You with all my heart and lean not unto my own understanding, but also be a witness of my faith and trust in You through Christ my Savior and Lord for others to see and come to trust in You as well. In Jesus' precious name I pray. Amen.
*************************************

--Pastor Boeck

Copyright ©2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.