The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. Psalms 28:7 NIV
A few days ago, I wrote about how God is the only one we can trust wholly, and that is true. But in reading this Psalm of David it introduces up another question, do we trust God because of what he's done, or do we trust God, and he does good things?
Is it just semantics? I don't think so. True, it makes it easier to trust based on our experience of his past goodness and recognizing his hands in our lives -- and we should do that and give thanks. But it seems perhaps that isn't true trust. It is not stepping out with confidence and total faith—the kind of trust that requires no evidence but absolute certainty.
Admittedly, absolute trust is challenging for us. It is unnatural but possible when we open ourselves entirely to the Holy Spirit. However, we should not get discouraged; Jesus understands our humanity and helps us grow in our understanding of God and to trust Him.
God, we give you thanks for all you have done. In your actions, we witness your love for us. We confess we find it challenging to trust absolutely. Even though we know your goodness, we have trouble letting go and giving ourselves completely. Please forgive us, and help us trust fully in you. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Tim
