Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid:
Isaiah 12:2a
Our trust in things moves depending on what we're supposed to have trust in. Trust is not unshakeable in everything.
For instance, think of a large highway bridge. We're that unconcerned with its collapse we hardly remember driving over it. Our trust is that strong and secure it doesn’t even enter our conscious thought.
What about driving through a long tunnel. We can't get to the other end without looking around and wondering what we would do if it collapsed. We have less trust in the tunnel. As we watch our sports team in a grand final, do we trust they'll come home with a win, or are we not sure? We can’t be sure, can we? We have less trust again.
How is your trust in God? Is it like the large highway bridge? Or more like the tunnel or the sports team in the final?
Do you trust Him as your Saviour in every situation? Is He your rock and fortress? Or in times of trouble do you have an each-way bet? i.e. a bit sure and a bit unsure?
The word Trust in Hebrew Strong's Concordance H982 is a verb, a doing word. A word used to describe an action. Trust is an action. How can we have half an action? We know when we have a half-completed job, the finished half is still outstanding. If we've half done it, it's incomplete. if our trust is only halfway, it's also incomplete. Is it possible to put a mere half our confidence in something?
I recall being on the incomplete Westgate Bridge in 1974 as a nineteen-year-old. It was half-built again after it had fallen down. If a bridge is half-built, vehicles need to do a u-turn. So, if we are trying to have half-trust in the Lord's Word, we find we are doing a u-turn, and our half-trust is not trust at all. We're back to square one at the start with no trust. We haven't even begun the journey of trust. And it is a journey.
Trust, by its own definition, demands a fully completed action. It is impossible to have half-trust.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."
It does not say, "Trust in the Lord with half or part of thine heart..."
When we lack trust we lean to our own understanding, allowing the fear of uncertainty to reign. This is precisely what trust is designed to remove. Without trust, our path is rarely directed by the Lord.
Today's prayer: Dear Lord, trust is so intertwined with so many aspects of my daily living, I find I have more trust in many things than I do in you. Please help my trust be like the large highway bridge.
Photo via TC Bolts
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