Faith & Trust

I know this sticker's called Faith over Fear, but today I wanna talk about trust. Because really, putting our faith in God demands that we trust Him too.

I've been studying one of the most famous verses on this subject, and boy, is it fascinating ...

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths” (Prov 3:5-6, HCSB).

Although, technically speaking, before we can trust Him with all our hearts, we have to keep His commands in them (Prov 3:1). This means that, beyond simply memorizing Scripture, we are tasked with trying our absolute hardest to obey it, for this is a sign that our hearts truly love Him (John 14:21).

This posture of adoring and bowing to His will is a precursor to trusting Him, since the Hebrew word for trust—baw-takh—represents lying facedown on the ground in complete, helpless dependance.

Friends, picture a child looking up at their Father and waiting for His instruction, a servant eager to obey their Master’s edict, or a rebellious soldier prostrating themself before their Commander and yielding to His judgement … and we get a glimpse of what trust in the Lord looks like.

It is an allegiance to Him that seeks to be unwavering in following His path.

Furthermore, trusting God is about not relying on our own understandings or trying to convince ourselves that we’re “wise in [our] own eyes” because—as John 10 highlights—we’re foolish sheep who regularly chase desires and fleeting fancies, ending up in massive amounts of trouble (Prov 3:7).

The Good Shepherd wants us to “fear the Lord and [reject] evil,” thereby inviting Him into our complicated, confusing, sometimes-mundane, daily lives (this is what acknowledging Him in “all [our] ways” implies) so that He can direct us on His paths, regardless of the surprises each day brings (Prov 3:5-7, HCBS).

When we adhere to this ever-famous verse—choose to trust in God, turn our attention to His Word instead of our own understanding, invite Him into our daily lives, and try to honor and obey Him—we can be confident that He will direct our steps (through a combination of recollecting His Word, being led by His Spirit, receiving wise counsel from others, and using good ol’ common sense).

All this to be said, when we combine loving Him, prostrating ourselves before Him, and adhering to the wise living He guides us to, we get to faith over fear …

“My son, do not let [the Lord and His gift of] wisdom and understanding out of your sight, … [because] they will be life for you. Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared” (Prov 3:21-26, NIV, emphasis mine).

Guys, it’s all about Him: His path, His protection of our feet as we walk along it, and His teaching of how to “walk uprightly” alongside Him. What begins in our hearts as a conscience decision to seek Christ and a willingness to bow before Him in humble dependence … extends down into our feet, where the actions of our Christian faith lie.

By God’s grace, living in wisdom and trust allows each of our steps to be surefooted in Jesus’ confidence and peace, day after trialsome day. Our sins can be forgiven, our consciences clear, our sleep sweet, and our terrors erased in the light of His loving face.

Truly, He is the “hidden treasure” all of us seek, and if we put in the effort to walk towards Him in faith, He’s all-too-eager to be found (Prov 2:4, 8:17).