A Matter of Trust

A Matter of Trust
 Picture yourself at a beautiful beach, perhaps in the Caribbean and while basking in the sun and enjoying its warm and caressing rays you become thirsty. Not being from the region, you decide to have a diet Coke instead of the usual ice water you would drink. The afternoon sun gently gives way to the cooling winds and you decide to return to your room to freshen up and pursue dinner, but where and what to eat? You saw a McDonalds while taking the shuttle bus to the hotel, but hey, you’re on an island surrounded by water and you really want seafood not some flown in frozen beef patty right? But can I trust that it will be safe to eat, will I develop some strange food borne illness just because I want seafood, how will I know it was handled and cooked properly? You have just experienced a matter of trust and being you are on an island, imagine not being able to trust anyone, it would seem as if you might be confined alone and in prison.
Maybe this quote from Graham Greene, from his book A Ministry of Fear, can explain this feeling of trust or the lack of it;
It is impossible to go through life without trust: That is to be imprisoned in the worst cell of all, oneself.
Of most all scripture, it says to put our trust in the LORD and rightfully so. For in Genesis 6:5 & 8:21 it says “that the human heart is evil”. Well now wait one minute, if we walk faithfully in the steps of the LORD and love others, even our enemies even more than we love ourselves should we as Disciples of Christ be deemed “not trustworthy”?
This is a very big question and I think the only one who has an answer to this is “us”. I remember myself the sinner; would I trust me, with my own life? I know in previous times I may have been sorely disappointed. But now, am I still that same creature that cowered in the darkness, always trying to justify my actions to others or myself, that those actions would not bring any harm to others only myself? Do you recall those days of guilty pleasures, pleasures of this world?
Well guess what? You’re best off forgetting them, because that is what the LORD has done. Shall we continue to dwell in that shame, shall we continue to not grow deeper in our faith and understanding of what it means to trust in the LORD? Seriously, I know it is hard to trust in man, especially when those who claim to follow Christ still stumble and fall.
In our lives will we continue to trust in Him and the relationship we have with Him?
Through it all, the LORD works in all who acknowledge Christ as Saviour. Let us not forget one example of which we had no other option but to place our trust, in our parents. This may not be the best example for some, but as a relationship of trust, this example mimics the example of God the Father and Jesus of Nazareth. In all things Christ came here to accomplish on earth, it was in His Father that he placed that trust. In these best of relationships you can literally hear this portion of scripture from 1 Corinthians 13:6-7 pour out “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth, it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
By trusting in those who come into our lives we are saying loudly and boldly "Yes LORD, I trust you!"
If there is still doubt, we only need test that spirit of those who are sent according to scripture use the scripture found in 1 John 4:1 (NIV)
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
But even as this scripture says to test the spirit, only those with the gift of discernment may be readily able to do so, to all others including myself, we must continue to persevere in our faith and rely on the hope we have found through Christ. That same Christ who said we must also endure suffering. For the Lord whom we have spoken of as our Redeemer with our very own mouths, has said through Paul "Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:17 (NIV)
But through reading the Bible, we have also found that damned are those who come under false pretenses, bearing witness as a lover of mankind and then having their own mouths and actions repeatedly declare them forfeiting of any spirit given through God.
A friend of mine pointed out a verse in the Bible that I must repeat, for it has absolutely everything to do with this discussion about trust and that would be found in Psalms 118:8; The Bible says “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in humans.”
Now we should consider the author of this scripture in Psalms, of course that would be King David. I want us to reflect back in his life before he was king. Let us think back to what triggered his writings in Psalms and that would be his testimony while he was being sought by King Saul. Anointed by God, King Saul had many to lead and at one time in his reign, King Saul trusted in the Lord and the LORD blessed him abundantly, but this trust would not last, no it was doomed from the moment Saul decided to take matters in his own hands. If only Saul had obeyed the LORD and not put his trust in his own wisdom, he may have always had a member of his family upon the throne.
Trust, what is it, how would we describe it to someone who has had trouble with it? Well the dictionary says it’s a feeling of confidence based on honesty. But who has been more honest than God? The prophet Isaiah in chapter 59 speaks of those who have not trusted in the LORD, he speaks of their iniquities and of their rebellious nature. The LORD himself will come and He will be the arm of justice and of those who repent, He will be their Redeemer. In Isaiah 59:21 (NIV)
“As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the LORD. “My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the LORD.
So let me ask you “Are you confident that Christ is your Redeemer”? Do you believe it, do you trust Him?
I want to revisit the life of David again. Before David was made king he trusted in the LORD, but unlike Saul he remained faithful. In another relationship David had before becoming king, he gave complete trust and that would be his relationship of trust with Saul’s own son Jonathan. Their relationship and the trust that followed came to be as a result of each of them trusting greatly in the LORD. This is a real example of one man entrusting another man so much, he would go in confidence and wait for a rescue from the hands of King Saul.
Surely we have all had to trust in someone here on earth; and to such an extent that I would venture to say “they and you are each in God’s confidence, each in God’s hands”.
I wish to close with the parable Jesus spoke of in Matthew 25 this is from the (NIV)
The Parable of the Talents
    14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15 To one he gave five talents[a] of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17 So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18 But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
   19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
   21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
   22 “The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’
   23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
   24 “Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
   26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
   28 “‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
As you have heard; those who can trust and be trusted, will be trusted with more, but those who can’t trust will never be trusted themselves.