Trust – Covenant Sunday 2023

Today’s message will address these three questions

1. What is trust?
2. Why do we need trust?
3. Who will you trust?

1. What is trust?

Trust - The sense of well-being and security which results from having something or someone in whom to place confidence. The feeling of being safe or secure. To be unconcerned. (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament)

Isn’t this a place we all want to be – a place of security, confidence, safety. I don’t know if I live in this place, but I sure would want to. I visit it but I long to experience it more. If I had to tell you of a time when I stayed there most consistently it may be when I was a child. Maybe that’s why Jesus says

Matthew 18:2–3 (NIV) — 2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

2. Why do we need trust?

I think all of us have been in the land of no-trust. It goes by several names - despair, hopelessness, misery, gloom. I was there recently. Nothing serious but this past summer I visited my sisters in New England and one of my favorite things to do is go to the beach where we would take our summer vacations. I was looking forward to it, but despair set in when I ran my rental car into a curb while I was parking. I worried about that all day long. It was a beautiful day on the beach with the woman I love and I couldn’t enjoy it.

That’s why we need trust. Without it we can’t even enjoy what we have and we are pretty miserable to be around!

The Old Testament was written in Hebrew but when it was translated into Greek in the intertestamental period the Greek word used to translate the Hebrew word for trust was the word hope. So, when we see hope in the NT this is closely tied to this concept of trust. And hope is an integral aspect of faith as we see in Hebrews 11.

Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) — 1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Trust is so critical in living a productive, faithful life.

The rest of the story: I did get to talk to my insurance agent the next day and he assured me he had things covered and not to worry at all! A weight was lifted, the grass was greener, the air was cleaner, I was nicer!

3. Who will you trust?

This may be the most important question to answer. More on that in coming sermons but the simple answer is the Lord. And that is my challenge to you today:

Proverbs 3:5–6 (NIV) — 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

We will talk more about why God is trustworthy but note here that the Proverb gives three qualifications for our trust:

1. First qualification - “With all your heart.”

We have to be sold out on God. This can’t be with only certain areas of our life.  Half-hearted trust is no trust at all! Half-heartedness plagued the Israelites – they wanted to trust God but they also wanted to trust Baal, a false God of the Canaanites:

1 Kings 18:21 (NIV) — 21 Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing.

2. Second qualification - Lean not on your own understanding

Trusting God will often contradict our own understanding of the situation. Trust implies that you do something that doesn’t make sense to you. When someone asks you to trust them it normally means that you have to go against what you think best. Trust requires submission and humility. Hear these two Proverbs:

Proverbs 14:12 (ESV) — 12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

Proverbs 28:26 (NIV) — 26 Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.

3. Third qualification - In all your ways submit to him

Trust means to relinquish control. Trust requires submission and humility

I would rather trust God than my own deceitful heart. - D.L. Moody

The very essence of anxiety is imagining that we are wiser than God. - Charles Spurgeon

Trust may be hard but trusting in God comes with a promise

Oh how much trouble we get ourselves in when we do not trust God

Hear this paraphrase of Proverbs 3:5-6:

Proverbs 3:5–6 (The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language) — 5 Trust GOD from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. 6 Listen for GOD’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.

What more can I say – God says you can find that security, confidence, and well-being when you trust me.

Proverbs 3:5–6 (NIV) - 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.