Proverbs 3:5: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Let’s look at what the Scriptures say about trusting the Lord.
Trusting the Lord means obeying Him (Prov. 16:20).
You cannot say you are trusting the Lord if you are not obeying Him. Obedience includes worshiping Him (Ps. 4:5). This includes praying to Him in distress (Ps. 7:1). Trusting God makes people bold in the face of danger (Ps. 11:1). The trust that leads to obedience is a shield of safety (Ps. 18:30). When God’s people trust Him and worship Him, it causes many other people to see and fear and trust the Lord (Ps. 40:3). Trust in God results in declaring all His works (Ps. 73:28).
Instruction is for the purpose of giving the ability to trust (Prov. 22:19).
We study scripture and sit under biblical instruction in order to be reminded of the promises to be believed, the commands to be obeyed, and the stories to be remembered. This means knowing who “the Lord” is (Ps. 9:10). The Exodus from Egypt was all about “knowing the Lord” because Pharaoh said he didn’t know who this Yahweh was. In the New Testament, we proclaim Jesus as Lord so that all men will put their trust in Him (Jn. 20:30-31).
Pride is the opposite of trust; pride sirs up strife, trusting the Lord leads to blessing (Prov. 28:25).
Pride is ultimately a stance of self-protection, self-reliance, self-trust. But to conclude that you aren’t as trustworthy is to humble yourself before God and trust Him. Pride often produces strife because it is not really a fun place to be. Though our culture presents pride as sexy and confident, if your god is in your mirror, you will be condemned to despair and anxiety because you do not hold your life. But trusting the Lord causes our hearts to rejoice (Ps. 28:7). Many sorrows are to the wicked, but he who trusts in the Lord shall be surrounded with mercy (Ps. 32:10). Trusting the Lord is often the key to seeing that you already are surrounded in mercy. Pride blinds you to God’s goodness.
The opposite of trusting the Lord is fearing man (Prov. 29:25).
The man who fears the Lord, trusts the Lord because He is their help and shield (Ps. 115:11). It is better to trust in the Lord than put confidence in man (Ps. 118:8). It is better to trust in the Lord than to put your confidence in princes (Ps. 118:9). Some trust in chariots and horses, but we remember the name of the Lord (Ps. 20:7). Maybe it’s science or medical technology or power structures or economic prosperity or intellectual prowess or good looks, but all of those will let you down, all of those will fade. Only Jesus will never fail.
Trusting Jesus
When Jesus was crucified, they taunted Him, saying, ‘He trusted in God, let God deliver Him’ (cf. Ps. 22:8). And this is precisely what God did on the first Easter. He delivered Jesus from the grave, and this is the promise of the gospel – “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9).
In the book of Acts, Christians are repeatedly called “believers” – they are the ones who “trust in the Lord.” They are trusting that Jesus is the Lord God who has overcome sin, suffering, and death, and is worthy of obedience, worthy of worship, worthy to proclaim. Just as Abraham was the father of Israel, the father of those who believe, so now those who trust in Jesus are like Abraham and “accounted righteous” (Gen. 15, Rom. 4:22-25). God considers them “in Christ,” and therefore they will never be put to shame.
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