I’ve been thinking lately about trust. Dictionary.com defines the noun trust as “reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence; confident expectation of something; hope.” As a verb it is defined as “to have trust or confidence in; rely or depend on; to believe; to expect confidently; hope.”
It is a good quality for a person to be trustworthy. But to be worthy of trust a person must earn that trust. They must have integrity; if they say they will do something, they have to follow through and do it; they must be honest so that their word can be believed. But even once earned trust isn’t permanent because it is easily betrayed. Once lost, it seems it is difficult, if not impossible, to regain trust, whether you are the one who no longer trusts another or are the person who is no longer trusted.
There is only One who has always been and will always be worthy of trust, and He knew that we humans, at our core, don’t deserve trust.
Because of the miraculous signs Jesus did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many began to trust in him. But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew human nature. No one needed to tell him what mankind is really like. John 2:23-25 (NLT).
It can be challenging to live in a world where we feel we can’t trust anyone. Everywhere you turn, you find that others can be dishonest and fail to follow through on promises. I’m reminded of the song “Honesty” by Billy Joel. The chorus begins:
Honesty is such a lonely word
Everyone is so untrue
Honesty is hardly ever heard
And mostly what I need from you
So where can we turn for someone to trust? To the One who can be trusted to always fulfill His wonderful promises; to the One is whom there is no deceit. During what we now call Holy Week, before the Last Supper and Good Friday, Jesus spoke these words of trust:
Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me. I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. But all who reject me and my message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken. I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. And I know his commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say.” John 12:44-50 (NLT).
Are you feeling discouraged because you have been let down or betrayed by someone you once trusted? Are you frustrated by the dishonesty around you? Are you disheartened by the knowledge that you have not been completely trustworthy yourself? Maybe it’s because your trust has been misplaced. As Jesus knew, humans are not trustworthy. But He is! The solution to your misplaced trust is to join Revive and the “Chorus of the Saints” in seeing clearly the One and Only who is worthy of our trust:
We the redeemed are lost again
With misplaced trust and desire to complain
But if only we’d open up our eyes
And see the beauty of our God
Who has never left our side
This is the chorus of the saints singing “Hallelujah! Our God is faithful!”
Our God is faithful and worthy of all our trust. He has proved Himself over and over, and all His promises are true. Place your trust in Him and all will be well in the end.