"Who Can You Trust?"

"Trust in the Lord"

For as long as I can remember, the phrase, "trust in the Lord" has been used in sermons, Sunday school lessons, devotions and all types of counseling.

But what does it really mean? Why do we trust in someone else in the first place?

Let's think about the foundation that trust is built on and why. I want us to take a minute and think about all of our friends, families, religious associates, co-workers and teachers. I want us to pause for a moment and think about the people that we trust.

If I understand trust, it won't take me very long to know exactly who I trust out of all of the people I know! There are maybe one or two people in each of our lives that we feel safe enough with to share any of our deepest concerns with. Why are there only one, two, maybe a few out of so many people? Why don't we trust more people with our lives?

Well, this answer depends allot more on the actions of people we know than on our own decision to trust. The people we have met throughout life are always effecting the way that we feel about them but there are some people that stick closer than your own brother or sister. Why is that?

What makes it stick?

The first thing I see, is that they look out for your best interest! No matter how hard it may be for you to accept, when you ask for advice, they will tell you what is going to help you the most! I have known people who purposefully told me things to discourage me from doing something and it was so obvious that they had ulterior motives. For example, they may have been jealous that I would succeed at something! That's when I lost my trust in that person. Another example would be, my car was broke down or if I missed the last bus home and I called someone and they told me they were just getting home and were sorry, they couldn't help right now, I would get the message that I better not try calling that person the next time I'm broke down or was desperate for help! Do you get the idea that I'm trying to demonstrate here? If not, call me next time you need help and I'll give you a live demonstration!!!

No! Not really! Just kidding!

I needed to add some humor or you might start dozing on me when we're on such serious topics as this!

What is the next thing that builds our trust in a person we know? I would say it is honesty! When we are told by one of our friends that we need to improve in an area of our lives, is that honesty? When we feel that someone has done us wrong and our friend helps us see where we could have prevented that from happening, is that honesty?
Is honesty always a wonderful experience? Obviously not, but it is for our good when it comes from someone who cares and that is the next thing I want to point out.

People who are honest with us care about the outcome. We care about our best friends!

Caring isn't something everyone is going to feel for everyone all the time!

I believe that we care about the things that are most important to us and we decide throughout our lives what those things are. We as humans are limited as to how many people we can possibly care about. We may have compassion on all the suffering but can we really care for each of them? I think not.

I learned something in 1990 while reading a book called, "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People". One of the things that really stuck in my mind was that we have a circle of influence in our lives but the circle that we live in is much larger!
If you can envision a circle or even draw it on a piece of paper; a circle that is about three inches wide. This represents the circle that holds everything about our lives; all the trips, places and people we meet. Then inside this circle; draw another circle about one inch wide. This circle represents our circle of influence. This circle is full of activities, people and places that we are actually able to make a difference in. These are the people places and things that we can influence in some way throughout our lives!
What I learned was that we often spend as much time or more outside of this circle trying to make friends or trying to improve things. If I realized that there are only going to be so many people and only so many things that I will be able to influence, then I would become much more effective by spending more of my time in my circle of influence.

It might take a little while but let it soak in and see if it makes sense to you. I encourage you to try being more conscientious of your activities and see which circle you find yourself spending most of your time in!

I needed to inject that experience because it has allot to do with trust and the choices we make. When you are with someone that you could trust with your life or the life of your children, do you get tense or nervous about how things are going to turn out? Of course not; you feel safer and more confident that what you are going through is going to eventually work out. You feel good!

Everyone wants to feel good! Right?

I'd like to make one more important point about this matter of trust. The people we trust are not people that we just met yesterday! Trust develops over time, right? It takes about a year to really get to the point that you feel like you really understand someone and know what is important to them. Think about the years spent in high school and college and remember how the school year was coming to an end and all of a sudden you saw the friendships begin to blossom and the ones who had become friends suddenly realized that they really liked being together every day and some even cried. We are talking girls here! I think that us guys became good friends but the girls had us hands down when it came to real trust and relationships. Still, guys would develop the friendships that caused them to call and invite each other to go play ball or double up on dates and such. Then the next year, we would all pick up where we had left off in our growing friendships and each year it grew.

But, what was it that was really growing? Was it just a good feeling or allot of memories that constantly played over and over in our minds? I don't recall any of those kind of things going on then, but I do remember the times when we had serious talks about things like new and old girlfriends; those unfair teachers; our old fashioned parents and the ideas we had about religion and God. I remember when my best friend stood up for me once because I was a pretty small stature guy in those days.

What was it that was growing from year to year? The thing that we all need to survive in this world; something that the world is built on from the beginning of creation when Adam was placed in the garden by God. It was the link that connects the best of friends and never let's go! We were searching for the ones we could trust and growing that trust day by day; building trust year after year. So time affects the people we put our trust into. Yes, time is the one thing we cannot rush. As humans we are given a span of time to be here together and we must use that time to build relationships and trust.

You might be wondering why I haven't quoted many scriptures as I always do. The reason is because this lesson is about us all and the importance of how we see and understand trusting each other. Now I want to take trust to the next level!

If we build trust based on good advice, confidence, honesty, good feelings, conversations and time; how can we apply this to our relationship in God?

Remember? I said that I had heard this all my life, "trust in the Lord".

Well, I was thinking about how I had found the most help from the Bible when I was going through the most difficult times of my life and I thought about the counseling we share with those we trust. Then I thought about how my Lord promises me a Comforter who will always be there for me and that Comforter brought joy into my heart while I was going through troubles in my marriage; while raising my teenager; while battling through life threatening sickness; when laid off from a very secure job; and even when the one I trusted pierced my heart through. My Lord will never leave me; nor forsake me.

Hebrew 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Hebrew 13:6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

Then I thought about how, I knew I could talk to my Lord about any problem, decision, mistake or feeling I was going through.

He always listened and He always cared enough to look past my mistakes and see my potential!

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

Lastly, I thought about the matter of time and I thought about how I had not known my Lord for very long when I was young and how could I have trusted in a God that I had just begun to know? Maybe you have just recently come to know your Lord and wonder the same thing too!

Then it hit me! I remembered that the Word of God says that our Lord God Almighty chose us before the foundation of the world existed!

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5 Having predestined us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

That is a trust has stood the test of time even before we existed!
You may be thinking, "How could He have done this?" How? Because He is our infinite creator; our reason for existing and the reason we can trust others in our lives today.

He is the foundation that trust is built on. If we do not trust God then who can we trust?

Ephesians 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

I want to share with you a quote found in Wayne Dyers book, "The Power of Intention". Wayne brings to our attention that we find teaching in the Word of God that leads us to trust in God because our God is good. He also brings out the fact that everyone wants to feel good! So, if God is the ultimate example of good for us ; what we really long for is to feel God! Wayne Dyer says in his book, "You want to feel good? Then feel God!"

What does that mean?

Let's look at Ephesians in chapter one,

Ephesians 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Eph 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Eph 1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

I ask you, "Do you feel God in your life today? Have you accepted His grace and believed, as it says in verse nineteen above?"

Do you trust Him in any situation you might have?

If so, then you CAN feel the Confidence; the Protection; the Friendship and the Care that it feels like to be with someone that you really trust!

Lets pray,

My Jehovah Shammah, I know that you are always there in times when I need your companionship, your confidence and your care! I depend on you, as my trust grows each day and I know that you are glorified when I call on your name each day! I know that we were made for your glory Lord and that you want the best for us even when it isn't easy for us to accept the truth. Sometimes I try to take the easy way around and you bring me back into line so that I will gain the most from the experience. I thank you for this! It is my confidence in your promises that helps with my trust in you Lord. I will believe that your powerful and infinite spirit is dwelling in me and will go before me and behind me today no matter what I am experiencing because I trust in You, because you are always there! Amen.

Names of God

JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH: "The Lord is There" (Ezek. 48:35).