6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols; I trust in the LORD. 7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. 8 You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place. 9 Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief. 10 My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak. 11 Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors; I am a dread to my friends--those who see me on the street flee from me. 12 I am forgotten by them as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery. 13 For I hear the slander of many; there is terror on every side; they conspire against me and plot to take my life.

One of the interesting things about trusting God is that he often does not tell us the answers to our questions. We are taught that asking “why” is a good thing. The more we understand why things are as they are, the better we can cope with the situation and work our way thru it. But, in actuality, this is trusting in ourselves and our own ability to deal with whatever we face in our lives. To trust in God is described by the Hebrew writer (Heb. 11:1) as “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” It is facing the unknown (we even admit we don’t understand “why”) with complete confidence that God will take care of whatever it is we are facing. This implies that we believe he is able to do this. It also implies that we believe he cares enough about us to see us and our needs and then take care of us – no matter what our problem. Another implication is that we accept his judgment and wisdom to know better than we what is best for us.

So, armed with this kind of faith, we face each new day with a joy and peace that those without faith cannot understand. Even in the midst of our deepest and darkest trials, we know that it is only temporary, that God is in control and he will take us safely to the other side. In addition to this, when we reach the other side of the storm, we will be better off than when we started.

Now that we are armed with this assurance, we no longer have reason to be filled with anger or jealousy. We can get rid of our selfish attitude because God is looking out for us and our good. We can (like Jesus lived) begin to serve others with no feeling of being used. Praise God for who he is!

O God, great and powerful, wise and understanding, majestic and glorious, there are no words to express my gratitude to you for who you are in your essence. I cannot grasp your greatness or your love but I am grateful. Help me to live in such a way to bring glory to you on this earth. In Jesus name.

May God bless each of us as we learn to trust him more.