Trust: "When God Speaks: 40 Days of His Promises"

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust—think about it. It’s a rare commodity in society today. With all that’s going on, especially with the increase in terrorist attacks, how can we? On top of it, there are so many shady characters in the world itching to strip us of our money, our family, or our life. In an untrusting world, it’s difficult to believe in a trustworthy God. How do we overcome our natural inclinations?

In the light of God’s love and His presence, fear melts away. It is replaced by a trusting relationship that grows daily. We come to know God personally in this way through prayer and reading His Word, and He instructs us. As a good teacher, He trains us—like a horse and rider. Let’s take a look.

At first the trainer places the unbroken or wild horse in a paddock to restrict their movement. When the time is right, they place a bridle on the horse’s head and a bit in its mouth. This is like many of us when we first come to Jesus. He restricts our activity for a while, then harnesses us and takes the reins. Wild as some of us are, we may chafe at such a yoke, but God intends it for good. He wants to direct us over the hurdles and around the pitfalls, rather than falling into them. But it’s human nature to want to be in the saddle holding the reins. Many of us gallop away, going our own direction.

Yet those who submit to training are a wonder to behold. When horse and rider are in unison, it is a beautiful sight. They become one as they jump the hurdles, race around the track or gallop down the trails. The horse responds to the slightest movement of the reins, the pressure of the rider’s legs and their stance. Together, they know where to go and what to do.

If we can learn to trust Him like this, we too can be guided by the One who sees the whole picture and knows what is best. We may veer off the path, but He can redirect us back. As we walk together with Him in trust, we can learn to avoid some pitfalls. We can sense His guidance through His words and His direction when we pray.

We don’t need to rely on our limited perception when we are in tune with God. We can trust Him is situations that don’t make sense—when we are in pain, lose a job, a house, a loved one, or when friends fail us. God can direct us through darkness, peril and loss as well as through joy and light.