Not long ago, my family visited friends after one of our concerts. My dear friend Hannah was training her horses and she offered to let me have a ride. Although I was not dressed like a cowgirl, I jumped at the opportunity.
I hadn't ridden or even sat on a horse for about a decade, so aside from what I've learned watching Westerns, I am ignorant of the art of horsemanship. Hannah told me how to mount, and she held the reins and led the horse "Joe" while I clutched the saddle horn.
My trust in Hannah's expert ability to control the horse was well-founded (no wild rides were in store), and I dismounted without a hitch. I enjoyed and was very grateful for the opportunity. My friend's skill with horses comes not only from hard work (of which she has done a lot), but also from God who has blessed her with wisdom and talent.
A little trust is necessary in just about everything in life. I trust the cook every meal as I taste my first spoonful of each dish (and usually that trust is well-founded). But ultimately the cook is not the one I trust, God is. The Bible promises that if believers "eat any deadly thing, they shall recover." And I trust that the Lord guides the cook's hands so that I'm not served any deadly thing.
My trust is in God. People fail and make mistakes. Any trust or confidence we have in people should be backed up by God's promises. The Bible warns us against gratuitous trust:
"Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord."
"Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help."
"Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of the mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom."
Put simply: Don't base your trust and hope on people! Trust God.
"Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is." --Jeremiah 17:7
There are innumerable people who have been hurt by misplaced trust in friends, Christian brothers and sisters, business partners, spouses, and even family members. Trusting in people often leads to disaster.
Trusting solely in oneself is hardly better. We should endeavor to be trustworthy in everything we do, but we know we are human; we make mistakes.
God never makes mistakes. Jesus is faithful all the time. Base all your trust upon the solid Rock of God's word. When trouble comes you can claim His promises.
"A man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land." --Isaiah 32:2
So true! :)Oh, for grace to trust Him more.
ReplyDeleteHow fun that you got to ride the horse! :D
Amen! Yes, it was a lot of fun! :)
ReplyDelete