Understanding Trust in an Untrustworthy World

What is trust? Trust is believing that something or someone is reliable and true.

Who do you trust? What do you believe to be reliable and true? Personally it gets harder and harder for me to trust anything I hear or read. A couple of weeks ago, Scott and I were watching a news event. For the fun of it, we started flipping back and forth between two different news stations. You couldn’t even tell that they were covering the same event because their reporting was so drastically different. How do you know which one to believe, which one to trust, or can you trust either one?

Oh, let’s talk about social media or just the internet in general. I get these crazy ads on my feed. “My skin has never looked better.” picturing a lady who is supposedly 60 years old, with skin that looks 20. You used to be able to say, “if you can see it, you can believe it.” Not anymore. There is no way I believe that photo is real. I don’t even know that Google is trustworthy. One day it says eat more fruit. The next day you search and read that fruit has too much sugar and shouldn’t be eaten. Who knows?

While helping Blakelynn learn to ride her bike, she would constantly remind me that I promised to not let go. She struggled to trust that I would keep my word. consequently, I had every intention of letting go as soon as she was balanced. No wonder we grow up and have trust issues.

We have become conditioned to question everything, trusting very little.

Let me tell you, God and his Word can be trusted. Yes, when you hear someone describe God, it is easy to doubt or wonder because it sounds too good to be true. A God who loves us, who sent his son to take on the sin of the world. A compassionate God who provides grace and mercy. A God of hope, joy, and peace.  (1 John 4:16, John 3:16, Luke 6:36, Hebrews 4:16, Romans 15:13) I could keep going. There is no way to succinctly summarize the greatness of God. Just listing some of my favorite attributes, begins to start sounding like one of those impossible to believe social media ads. God’s goodness and power is not a fake ad. It is real. 

The disciples spent three years with Jesus. He told them explicitly that he would die, but would rise again in three days. However,  even when the disciples went to Galilee, the designated meeting place, there was doubt. Matthew 28:16, “Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him – but some of them doubted!” How could they doubt? They just saw the resurrected Jesus in person.

God is too much for our human minds to understand. So, if you find yourself doubting that God’s word or promises are real, you are not alone, but don’t linger on those thoughts. Don’t let those thoughts take root. When you start to wonder if God could love you, trust that you are worthy. When you wonder if God hears your prayers, trust that he does, and keep praying. When you wonder if God could use you, the answer is YES! When you have doubts, go to his word; find a scripture that holds the truth you need, and put his word on repeat in your mind. 

“God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it out?” Numbers 23:19

Again, we cannot understand God. He is more than we can understand, but we can trust him.

Proverbs 3:5-6  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.