“Trust in the LORD with all your heart…” (Proverbs 3:5).
Trust (closely related to faith) is defined as, “a firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing.” My definition would include that trust is when we have a relationship in which, not only will neither party take advantage of the other, they will also endeavor to do that which advances the other’s interests.
The absence of trust tends to result in anxiety and restlessness while the presence of trust promotes a relaxed sense of wellbeing as illustrated in the following stories.
A lack of trust was exhibited by a clergyman sailing on a large ocean liner. In boarding, he discovered that he’d have to share his cabin with another passenger. He quickly examined his room and then found the purser. He asked if he could leave his gold watch and other valuables in the ships safe. He explained that he’d never used this privilege before, but he’d been to his cabin and met his roommate. From his appearance, he was afraid that he might not be a very trustworthy person. The purser accepted the responsibility for the valuables and remarked, “It’s all right, sir. I’ll be glad to keep your valuables. Your roommate has already been here and left his for the very same reason!”
Indicative of full trust, a father tells the story of being out in the mountains climbing around in the cliffs with his young son, Zac. All at once, he heard a voice from above shouting, “Hey Dad! Catch me!” He turned around to see Zac jumping from a rocky precipice. He’d jumped first and then yelled, “Hey Dad!” in mid-air! The father clumsily, but successfully caught the boy and they tumbled unceremoniously to the ground.
The dad, panting and in shock exclaimed, “Zac! Can you give me one good reason why you did that?” Zac, responded with remarkable calmness, saying, “Because you’re my Dad.” He had total assurance that his dad was trustworthy and felt he could live life to the fullest because of this trust in his father.
On a more personal note, I was once conversing with someone suffering with a terminal disease. I asked him if he’d been speaking with the Heavenly Father and if he had placed his trust in Christ. With the expectancy and trust of an airborne Zac, and with energy and enthusiasm above that which I would have expected, given his physical weakness, he replied, “I trust Jesus with all of my heart!”
“…whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe” (Proverbs 29:25).
— Pastor Ross Helgeton is senior pastor at Erskine Evangelical Free Church