It’s All About Trust

           In the introduction to his book, Who’s Looking Out for You?, Bill O’Reilly says, “This book is an attempt to zero in on one of the most important parts of life:  the ability to recognize who really cares about you as a person – and who does not.”  Parade magazine (Sept. 21, 2003) included an article touting his book under the title, “It’s About People You Can Trust.”  When we talk about who really cares about us – and who does not, it is a matter of trust. Who do we trust?  And why? 

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines trust as: 1 a: assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something b: one in which confidence is placed.  In the Old Testament the dominant word is batach meaning to lean on, trust, be confident and in the New Testament two words, elpizo and peitho are used similarly. 

The story was told about a pilot who was having difficulty landing his small plane during a thick fog.  The thick fog was hiding the runway and pilot had to bring the plane in by radar.  But suddenly he became panic stricken!  The instrument panel and his feelings were at variance.  It took all of the courage he could muster to trust the reading on the instrument panel.  But thankful he did and landed the plane safely.  He had to trust the instruments.

Trust is important.  Under certain conditions it can make the difference between life and death.  It will always make a difference in the quality of our lives.  Trust is important to our relationships.  It is important for us to have some sense of whom and what we can and cannot trust in life. 

I.       WHOM AND WHAT CAN WE NOT TRUST?

A.       MILITARY STRENGTH.

1.         Nations have foolishly trusted in their military power to keep them save from their enemies.  While there is wisdom in maintaining a strong military as a deterrent to aggression, we must realize that all of the military firepower in the world cannot protect us from some unexpected dangers. 

2.          David wrote, “For I will not trust in my bow, nor shall my sword save me” (Psalm 44:6).

3.         Military strategists have often recognized the possibility of facing a power stronger than themselves and being defeated.  Jesus said, “When a strong man, fully armed guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.  But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils” (Luke 11:22).

4.         Therefore, we cannot trust military strength.

B.        FLESHLY ALLIANCES.

1.         “Thus says the LORD: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the LORD’” (Jeremiah 17:5).

2.         “Then the Rabshakeh said to them, ‘Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria:  ‘What confidence is this in which you trust? You speak of having plans and power for war; but they are mere words.  And in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me?  Now look!  You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it.  So is Pharoah king of Egypt to all who trust in him’” (2 Kings 18:19-21).

3.         Our government leaders surely know how careful they must be in making alliances with other nations of the world.  Our trusted friends of today are our enemies of tomorrow.

4.         In business the same thing is true.  Alliances formed with trust and confidence today may be broken tomorrow with lawsuits and exploitation of trade secrets. 

5.         “Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit” (Jeremiah 7:8).

6.         We cannot, ultimately, trust alliances made with man.

C.       WEALTH.

1.         “Those who trust in their wealth and boast in the multitude of their riches, none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him” (Psalm 49:6-7). 

2.         “He who trusts in his riches will fall” (Proverbs 11:28). 

3.         “Why do you boast in evil; O mighty man? ...God shall likewise destroy you forever; He shall take you away, and pluck you out of your dwelling place, and uproot you from the land of the living.  The righteous also shall see and fear, and shall laugh at him, saying, ‘Here is the man who did not make God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness’” (Psalm 52:1; 5-7). 

4.         “And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, ‘Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:24).

D.       IDOLS.  “Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.  They have mouths, but they do not speak; eyes they have, but they do not see; they have ears, but they do not hear; noses they have, but they do not smell; they have hands, but they do not handle; feet they have, but they do not walk; nor do they mutter through their throat.  Those who make them are like them; so is everyone who trusts in them” (Psalm 115:4-8).

E.        FRIENDS.  “Everyone take heed to his neighbor, and do not trust any brother; for every brother will utterly supplant, and very neighbor will walk with slanderers” (Jeremiah 9:4).

F.        FAMILY. “Who can find a virtuous wife?  For her worth is far above rubies.  The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain.  She does him good and not evil all the days of her life” (Proverbs 31:10-11).

G.       OURSELVES. “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool” (Proverbs 28:26).  “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

II.     WHOM CAN WE TRUST?

A.       GOD ALONE.

                        “To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul.  O my God, I trust in You; Let me not be ashamed; Let not my enemies triumph over me” (Psalm 25:1-2).

                        “In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me?” (Psalm 56:11). 

                        “Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever” (Psalm 125:1).

                        “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all yours ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5).

                        “He who heeds the word wisely will find good, and whoever trusts in the LORD, happy is he” (Proverbs 16:20).

                        “…[H]e who trusts in the LORD will be prospered” (Proverbs 28:25).

                        “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD” (Jeremiah 17:7).

                        “For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe” (1 Timothy 4:10).

                        “Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9).