Who Do You Trust?
28th June 2024
From the Pastor's Heart - Who Do You Trust?
Dear CLIC Family,
I want to talk to you about a very familiar verse, one that I have memorised since I was a teenager: Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” This verse has been a guiding light in my life, and I believe it holds profound wisdom for all of us.
Notice that there are two components to this verse: “Trust in the Lord” and “lean not on your own understanding.” These two directives are closely connected yet distinct. They challenge us to examine where our trust truly lies.
The question that arises is, what is wrong with using our own understanding when making decisions? After all, God has gifted us with rational minds to make sound decisions. Surely, when God gives us a brain, we ought to use it well. There's nothing inherently wrong with using our understanding, but the verse calls us to a higher trust, one that goes beyond our limited perspective.
I find the word "trust" can be rather subjective and sometimes abstract. Does it mean blind trust—to just trust and not question? What does it mean to trust God? One could argue that trusting God involves using the mind and understanding that He has given us to make decisions. However, true trust in God involves more than just our reasoning abilities.
This is where faith comes into the picture. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that "without faith it is impossible to please God." To trust God means to obey Him even when it doesn't make sense to us and doesn't pass the test of our rational mind. It means to follow His word even when it seems like we are "losing out" in the world's eyes.
Many people trust God selectively. When God's word aligns with their desires, they trust Him. But when it goes against their desires, they choose not to. If that is the case, are we not just “leaning on our own understanding”? It’s like picking and choosing what we like while ignoring the rest. True trust requires surrendering our entire understanding to God, not just the parts that are convenient.
So, the real question we need to ask ourselves is, how much do we truly trust God? Do we trust Him only for our children to do well in school or for a smooth and successful life? Or do we trust Him even when it means denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following Him daily?
My challenge and encouragement to us as a church is to trust God with all our hearts, not just parts of our hearts. Trusting God requires courage, and only a Christian filled with the Holy Spirit has the strength to trust Him daily and fully. To be filled by the Spirit means to come under the control of the Spirit of God.
Church, let us aspire to be the kind of church that is bold and courageous, one that fully trusts God each time every time; one that wholly, entirely, and desperately dependent on Him and Him alone.
With the love of Christ,
Ps Kenny