The Bible has an abundance of passages that are familiar to many, extolling the benefits and joy of trusting in God.
Psalm 9:10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
Psalm 25:2 O my God, in You I trust, Do not let me be ashamed; Do not let my enemies exult over me.
Psalm 31:14 But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD, I say, “You are my God.”
Psalm 33:21 For our heart rejoices in Him, Because we trust in His holy name.
Yet the Bible also abundantly cautions us about where we should not place our trust.
Job 15:31 “Let him [the wicked man] not trust in emptiness [vanity], deceiving himself; For emptiness will be his reward.
Psalm 44:6 For I will not trust in my bow, Nor will my sword save me.
Psalm 62:10 Do not trust in oppression And do not vainly hope in robbery; If riches increase, do not set your heart upon them.
Psalm 146:3 Do not trust in princes, In mortal man, in whom there is no salvation.
Jeremiah 7:4 “Do not trust in deceptive words…
Proverbs 28:26 He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But he who walks wisely will be delivered.
Each one of these verses is easily a sermon or lesson in itself. Yet collectively they illustrate the futility of many of the things we find ourselves continuing to place our trust in day after day.
Our trust or faith is that which we have confidence in or rely on. If our confidence resides anywhere besides God and his provision, then we place ourselves, our lives, our countries, in jeopardy.
God desires us to place our confidence in him, not because he is narcissistic, but because as our Creator, he knows what’s best for us. As a loving parent or a protective eagle, he watches over the faithful to protect and guard our way. Ultimately, he wants what’s best for us.
Psalm 91:1-4 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!” For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper And from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.
Psalm 40:3-4 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear And will trust in the LORD. How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust, And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.
Trusting in God is where true joy and blessing resides, because God does not change, and our faith and trust in him has lasting consequences that far outweigh any current circumstance we may be enduring.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Psalm 52:8 But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever.
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