"Thus says the Lord:
'Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength,
whose heart turns away from the Lord.
He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come.
He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness,
in an uninhabited salt land.

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.
He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.'

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

'I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according the the fruit of his deeds."

Jeremiah 17:5-10

TRUST.

Two weekends ago there was a huge youth convention in Green Bay, Wisconsin held at what used to be the Regency Suites and now called the Sierra Hotels. The convention is Districts and it is put together by the Evangelical Free Church of America. I had the lovely opportunity to be the room leader for a group of five 8th grade girls whose energy was exiting and their hormones were off the wall...which was much LESS exiting for me.

I was pretty pumped about the whole thing because they had specifically asked for me as a room leader. I liked to think that it was because i had had an impact on their lives and they wanted to draw closer to the Lord. I guess i can be a little nieve at times because it became apparent that although they did think I was cool, they thought they could get away with more with me as their room leader.

Now, I don't want to ever be considered the "room nazi" but I do want to be respected and want to be able to have a relationship with these girls where I feel like I can trust them and they can trust me. All of that shattered the first night when I told them that they could stay up as late as they wanted as long as they 1. did not disturb those who were sleeping, and 2. followed all the rules of the hotel. When I woke at 3 am to the door to the outside closing and three girls shuffling back into the room, I couldn't believe what I just witnessed. In fact, I laid there for a second or two to let the cobwebs clear and to figure out exactly how I was going to address the situation.

When I got up out of bed, it was obvious that they did not expect to get caught on this little adventure because they were on their second mission to make a break for the door again! A little infuriated, I waited for them to jump back on their beds and have a little confessional of sorts. A confessional is not what I got. Instead, I received silence. Nobody was going to fess up or talk about what just had happened. So the first thing I said was,
"Anybody know why I am awake right now?" silence.
"So we are just going to pretend like nothing happened?" silence.
"Can anybody tell me what trust is?" ....finally someone spoke up... ,"trust is something that you obey because you want the other person to feel good?..."

Feel free to chuckle about at this time, because I didn't understand at all what she said other than she clearly felt a little guilty about something. I was about to share the right definition of trust when I realized that it was 3 in the morning and my mind was not informing me of a good definition.

We did talk about how they disobeyed the rules and how it was going to be difficult for me to trust them the rest of this evening but also the next as well. I told them I wanted them to have a good time but that there are rules they needed to follow and disobeying these rules are only going to hurt them in the long run; as well as hurt others.

As I have reflected a bit more on this weekend, I have decided that I really would like to have a better picture and answer in my mind about what it means to "trust" someone or something. So I was sitting in Fazoli's one day and from my own thoughts came up with the following definitions:
1. to believe that what is being said or believing in something or someone.
2. a state of faith in something not in your own control.
-often times, when we are 'trusting' in something, it means that we are relinquishing control to something or someone else.

So then I began to think of different scriptures that spoke about trust, and the fist one that came to my attention was,
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 will make your paths straight."

I cross-referenced this verse and came across the following;
Ps. 37: 3, 5
"Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him and He will do it."
Pr. 22:19
"So that your trust may be in the Lord, I have taught you today, even you."

Then I began to get verses that talked about not wearying ourselves to gain wealth but rather to delight ourselves in the Lord.

This tweaked my interest a bit. What areas of your life has God been asking you to trust Him in? Do you find it difficult to trust Him in the areas of finance in your life? I do. Listen to this verse;

Jer. 9:23

"Thus says the Lord, 'let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let the mighty man boast of his mihgt, let not the rich man boast in his riches; but let Him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness; justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things, declares the Lord."

Now I am beginning to get a bigger picture of what it means to trust the Lord. It seems to mean that we feed securely on Him. We feed on His faithfulness. It is about who God is.

Ps. 62:8
"Trust in Him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us."

So how do we trust?
Deut. 30:20
"by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to him; for this is your life and length of your days, that you may live in the Land which the lord swore to your Fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them."

Rest in this;
Isaiah 40:11
"like a shepherd He will tend His flock, in His arm He will gather the lambs and carry them in his bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes."

Merriam-Webster defines trust this way;
Trust is an assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something; one in which confidence is placed.

I have been challenged to truly let go and trust the Lord. My financial and career situations may have me confused and I honestly don't know what the future is going to have in store for me, but I trust in the One of whom I can pour my heart out to. The One who gathers His flock and exercises loveingkindness, justice, and righteousness here on this earth.

So instead of worrying or fearing the future I will, "Trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness." Ps. 37:3

Wait- God's encouragement for uncertain times: by Russell Kelfer

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried;
Quietly, patiently, lovingly, God replied.

I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate...

and the Master so gently said, "Wait."

"Wait? you say wait?" my indignant reply.
"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!"
Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming your Word.

My future and all to which I relate
hangs in the balance, and you tell me to Wait?"

I'm needing a 'yes,' a go ahead sign. Or even a 'no,' to which I'll resign.

You promised, dear Lord, that if we believe, We need but to ask, and we shall receive.

Lord, I've been asking, and this is my cry: I am weary of asking! I need a reply.

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate, as my Master replied again, "Wait."
So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut, and grumbled to God,
"So, I'm waiting.... for what?"

He seemed then to kneel, and his eyes met with mine... and he tenderly said
"I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.

I could give all you seek and pleased you would be.
You'd have what you want, but you wouldn't know Me.

You'd not know the depth of My love for each saint.
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint.

You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair;
You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there.
You'd not know the joy of resting in Me
when darkness and silence are all you can see.

You'd never experience the fullness of love
when the peace of My spirit descends like a dove.

You would know that I give, and I save, for a start,
But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

The glow of My comfort late into the night,
the faith that i give
when you walk without sight.
The depth that's beyond getting just what you ask
From an infinite God who makes what you have last.

You'd never know should your pain quickly flee,
what it means that My grace is sufficient for thee.

Yes, your dearest of dreams overnight would come true,
but, oh, the loss, if you missed what I'm doing in you.

So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see
that the greatest of gifts is to truly know me.

And though oft My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious answer of all is still...
"Wait."

"This is what the Lord says: 'In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you.'" (Isaiah 49:8) Isn't this a wonderful promise? In no uncertain terms, God affirms that He will answer and will help his people. But notice carefully the time slot for His help and answers; "In the time of my favor...and in the day of salvation." God has a designated time when His promise will be fulfilled and the prayer will be answered. It is a "day" or moment that he knows is best for the help to arrive and the deliverance to be accomplished. His answer is absolutely sure for those who trust Him, but it is not yet.

Herein lies the battle of faith-
to hold on and keep believing God despite what our natural senses tell us. Our challenge is to wait in faith for the day of God's favor and salvation.
-Jim Cymbala