When the Chips Are Down, Who Do You Trust?

Do you remember Johnny Carson? He’s best known for having set the standard for late-night talk show hosts over his three decades as star of The Tonight Show. Even to this day, his talent and excellence make contemporary late-night hosts seem like rank amateurs.

 

However, before Carson’s emergence on The Tonight Show, for about five years he emceed a daytime quiz show called “Who Do You Trust?” (Grammatically dogmatic English teachers contended it should have been called, “Whom Do You Trust?”) The quiz show has long since faded into TV archives, but its thematic question remains relevant today: Who do you trust?

 

Sadly, we find ourselves living in an age when it seems there are fewer and fewer people and entities that we truly can trust. 

 

For a vast assortment of reasons, trust levels have decreased – at least in the eyes of some – In one or more of the following professions that once enjoyed almost implicit trust: law enforcement officers; scientists; doctors and nurses; educators; business leaders; the clergy; the media; manufacturers. This barely scratches the surface of all those who have had members that betrayed public trust.

 

It’s become a cliché to claim that no politician is worthy of trust. Some are (at least we'd like to think so), but we’ve become all too accustomed to hearing about those who aren’t. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” we’re told in Romans 3:23, but as moral and ethical standards have declined in our society, that’s become more evident than ever.

 

When all else failed, we’ve usually felt we could trust the family dog. Sadly, there have been occasions when even that proved untrue. The same can be said of spouses – and parents.

 

So, the question remains, who do you trust? Or more accurately, who can you trust?

 

For me, I’ve concluded there’s only one answer. And it’s not myself, because I’ve failed my wife and children – even myself – more times than I can count.

 

Rather, my answer is found in two Old Testament verses that many years ago I adopted as my “life verse,” Proverbs 3:5-6. It says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

 

It’s less than 30 words long, but it captures a wealth of meaning and wisdom that I continue to mine. Of course, my trust in the Lord was not automatic. Just as with any relationship, my trust and confidence in Him has grown over time. It’s one thing to read this passage and given it mental assent. It quite another to actually embrace its assurance and live accordingly.

 

I could write entire books about the many ways God has proved Himself unfailingly trustworthy. Suffice it to say He’s never failed me, and I know He never will. When the Lord says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” – in Deuteronomy 31:6,8; Joshua 1:5; Hebrews 13:5, and many other places – He means what He says.

 

If you go to a Bible concordance or do an online search, you’ll find dozens of passages that encourage us to trust in the Lord. Given the reality that everyone and everything else in this world will fail us, proving unworthy of our trust at one time or another, He’s the one we can trust without fear of betrayal.

 

Another of my favorite passages, Psalm 37:3-4, declares, “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” I’ve found this to be true again and again. 

 

God hasn’t always given me everything I wanted, but He’s always provided everything I needed. And over time I’ve discovered that the desires of my heart have changed to become more aligned with what He desires for me – my Father truly does know best.

My hope and prayer for everyone reading this is that if you haven’t already learned this for yourself, you soon will. We live in a world when it would be easy to cynically conclude, “I don’t trust anybody.” But God is the one exception. As Isaiah 26:4 declares, “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.” In that promise we can indeed have rock-solid faith. 

Laid Out Any Fleeces Lately?

Let’s face it: Decisions are hard. Well, some aren’t, like, ‘Should I get out of bed this morning?’ (Actually, given the state of things these days, maybe that’s not such an easy decision either.) But often factors involved in decision-making are complicated.

 

This is why some people use the pro vs. con approach, listing the positives of one option and weighing them against its negatives. It might be, ‘Should we move – or should we stay?’ Or, ‘Is it really a good idea to buy a car right now?’ ‘Which college should I attend?’

 

Another approach to making decisions, but not always reliable, is to look for a sign. I’m reminded of the guy who was considering leaving his present circumstances behind and starting off fresh somewhere else. He got into his car and determined to keep driving until he received a sign on what to do. Too bad he was so deep in thought that he missed the sign warning, “Bridge Out Ahead!”

 

This “looking for a sign” strategy is hardly new. In fact, we see a classic example in the sixth chapter of the Old Testament book of Judges. Gideon was a very ordinary fellow, threshing wheat in his father’s winepress. An angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” Right away, Gideon suspected this day wasn’t going to be business as usual.

The angel proceeded to tell Gideon that God had chosen him to deliver the Israelites from the Midianites. His first reaction might have been, “Yeah, right!” He replied, “But Lord, how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manesseh, and I am the least in my family.”

 

Even with God’s assurance that, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together,” Gideon wasn’t convinced. He answered, “If now I have found favor in Your eyes, give me a sign that it is really You talking to me.” Gideon then boldly decided to choose the specific sign he wanted from the Lord.

 

He stated, “look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You said.” The passage tells us, “And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed and wrung out the dew – a bowlful of water” (Judges 6:37-38).

 

Years ago, a friend who raised sheep for a number of years told me an interesting fact about woolen fleece – it’s water-resistant, because it contains lanolin. So, the fact the fleece was saturated, while the ground surrounding it was dry, was truly a miracle.

 

Despite this “sign,” Gideon couldn’t let go of his skepticism. Maybe he was an ancestor of one of Jesus’ disciples, “doubting Thomas.” So, he cautiously decided to flip the sign on its head: “Then Gideon said to God, ‘Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew.’ That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew” (Judges 6:39-40).

 

Apparently, Gideon was thinking maybe the fleece was defective – never hurts to check, right? In the following chapter, we’re told God indeed used Gideon to defeat the Midianites, throwing in a couple more signs and miracles along the way for emphasis. The “rest of the story” could be the focus on another post, but clearly this simple guy was one who liked to follow signs.

 

What does this teach us? Are we to respond in similar fashion, insisting that God give us a sign if we sense Him leading us to step far outside our comfort zones?

 

Occasionally this might be appropriate, asking the Lord to confirm what He’s directing us to do. But most of the time He wants us to act in faith, stepping out when we believe He wants us to do so; at other times remaining where we are.

 

Circumstances like this remind me of Psalm 37:3-9, which says, “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.” 

 

However, lest we act presumptuously and move ahead of Him, God includes this admonition: “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him…those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.”

 

What difficult decisions are you facing right now? Are you considering “laying out a fleece,” asking the Lord to provide a definitive sign? After all, Ecclesiastes 3:1 declares, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” But most of the time, a better plan is to pray fervently; spend time in the Scriptures, asking God to speak to you through them; and when available, seek godly counsel from trusted friends. 

 

Using as many resources as possible before making crucial decisions – not just waiting for a sign – is one certain way to avoid getting “fleeced.”

Experiencing Life from a Rear-Facing Car Seat

The other day I was putting our little grandson’s car seat into our van – again. For safety purposes, not only does it require being tethered by hooks to the passenger seat, but it also must face the rear of the vehicle. While making sure that the infant seat was firmly anchored, I wondered what it must be like for the little guy to always be looking back, never seeing where he’s being taken.

Sometimes going through life seems
like traveling in a rear-facing carseat.

When I was a boy, occasionally my friend and I would go with our fathers to a New York Yankees baseball game in the Bronx. We would ride in his dad’s little station wagon that had a passenger seat in the rear facing backward. My dad would tell us, “Boys, you can’t watch where we’re going – but you can see where we’ve been!”

Now as an adult, I realize much of life is like that. Sometimes we’re facing forward and can easily see where we’re headed. Instructions from our GPS are clear and a specific route is mapped out for us. At other times – it might even seem much of the time – it’s like we’re cruising through life in a rear-facing seat with no clue where we’re headed. All we can see is where we’ve been. That’s not bad if you’re a passenger, but not good if you’re wanting to drive!

But as it says in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “We live by faith, not by sight.” We see this throughout the Scriptures. In Genesis we read about Noah building a massive ark to survive a global flood – before mankind had experienced a rainstorm of any kind. We also read about Abram being called by God to leave his country of Haran, without a roadmap or any explanation of why he had to leave. All he knew was that God said, “C’mon, Abram. Time for you and your family to grab your stuff and head out.”

In Exodus we see Moses being chosen to lead the Israelites out of Egypt for some place called the Promised Land. It’s like a parent telling a child, “Hey, we’re going somewhere special.” “Where, Mom?” “You’ll see!” The entire 11^th chapter of Hebrews is littered with brief descriptions of people who didn’t know where God was taking them or why, without any understanding of the trials the Lord would bring them through along the way. Almost as if they were riding on a camel, or in a chariot, facing backward.

Actually, there are two benefits to journeying through life in a rear-facing seat. It teaches us to trust, something we can’t do as well when we can clearly see the path we’re to follow. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us, “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.”  Often in life our question isn’t, “Are we there yet?” Because we’re not even sure where we are at that moment, much less where we’re going.

A “sister” passage also exhorts us to, “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun” (Psalm 37:5-6). Often we have no clue about what God is up to, where He’s taking us, or what He wants us to do when we get there. All we can do is, as the passages tell us, trust.

The other benefit of riding in the rear-facing seat is, as my father would say, we can see where we have been. It helps to look back and recall earlier times when, despite difficulties and even overwhelming odds, God was faithful and brought us through – tested, but not broken.

Hebrews 10:32,35-36 admonishes us, “Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering…. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised” (Hebrews 10:32,35-36).

Faced with great opposition and murderous threats, King David didn’t like the way things were going. He knew his future was out of his control; it was up to God to intervene and protect him. So he climbed into his rear-facing seat and wrote, “I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done” (Psalm 143:5).

If you’re facing a hard time right now, whether it’s a struggle within your family, challenges at work, a scary, new phase in your life, or whatever, maybe it’s time to figuratively place yourself in that rear-facing car seat. Ponder what the Lord has done in your life in the past. Know that He is with you in the present. And trust that He’s already guiding you safely into the unknown and unseen future.

Reassurance for a Time When We Need It Most

Whenever I hear people assess the Bible as being ancient, archaic, outdated, irrelevant, or any of the numerous other negative terms used, I shake my head in amazement. Because in studying the Scriptures, I realize with wonder how contemporary and down to earth its truths are.

With unvarnished candor, the Bible exposes the common flaws of humanity. Its stories recount murders, adultery, lying, stealing and every type of malice we can imagine. The destructive emotions of lust, envy, deceit, jealousy, hatred and greed are found on full display. Despite modern-day advances in technology, communications and various forms of scientific discovery, little has changed. By nature, we’re not much different than people were thousands of years ago.

But what sets the Scriptures apart from the holy books of every other religion is its overarching message of hope, mercy, grace and love extended from God to His creation. In troubled, divisive times such as we’re in today, we desperately need assurances that no matter how bad things seem to be – or how much worse they threaten to get – God is still present, sovereign, and ultimately His good will prevail.

I was reminded of this while reading my favorite psalm, Psalm 37. As we peruse the newspaper, watch the day’s news or spend more than a few minutes on social media, we can easily conclude Chicken Little was right – the sky is falling. But the opening verses of this great psalm declare that even though the world may seem upside-down and out of control, God guarantees, “Do not fear. I’ve got this!” Here’s the passage:

“Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.

Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath, do not fret – it leads only to evil. For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land” (Psalm 37:1-9).

The rest of this psalm’s 40 verses are just as powerful and reassuring. Originally written by King David under God’s inspiration during a time of great opposition, it would not be a stretch to believe the crises are just as dire in our times today. Every word of this passage is infused with hope and confidence in God’s great compassion, love and mercy for His people.

There’s much we could say about each of these verses. They are worthy of much meditation and reflection. But I think it suffices to sum them up with words of assurance and promise that appear later in the psalm: “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread…. Wait for the Lord and keep his way” (Psalm 37:25-26,34).

We can rest assured that no, the sky’s not falling. And even if it does, it’s all part of God’s plan.

The Weight of the Wait

Waiting, or even having to slow down, cuts against our grain.

TV commercials bombard us with images of juicy hamburgers, delicious-looking pizza, or scrumptious desserts, then we see ads for weight-loss programs or diet drinks. Seem ironic? Either it’s irony – or a conspiracy!

Obviously, the problem of being overweight and the health implications weigh heavily on our society. But there’s a greater burden, even for those who aren’t afflicted with copious pounds: The weight of having to wait.

We don’t like waiting. For anything. Whether it’s at a traffic light waiting for it to turn green, standing in line at the grocery store or post office, or having our high-tech TV take just a few moments to come on, we hate to wait. We want what we want – and we want it NOW.

It’s even more acute when dealing with important issues in our lives – awaiting test results for a worrisome diagnosis; hoping to hear good news after a promising job interview; searching the mail day after day anticipating an acceptance letter from the college we want to attend. With the unrest confronting society, many factors are involved, but among them is the unwillingness of people to wait for desired change.

We’re even wait-resistant when it comes to lifetime achievements. We’d love to become acclaimed musicians, or accomplished business people, or stellar athletes, but are reluctant to invest the thousands of hours necessary for becoming exceptional at our craft. Unfortunately, as Stephen R. Graves wrote recently on his website about leadership, “There is no speed cooking in greatness.”

No one watches pots anymore waiting for them to boil; we lurk with arms folded in front of microwaves waiting for instant meals to be heated. And impatience, this aversion to having to wait for any reason, seems more pronounced with each new generation.

Nevertheless, like death and taxes, waiting is a non-negotiable part of the human experience. Apparently that’s exactly as God intended.

Repeatedly the Scriptures tell us we need to learn to wait – gladly, not grudgingly. Psalm 46:10 tells us, “Be still, and know that I am God.”  When we desperately need or desire something, but feel helpless to bring it about, the discipline of waiting underscores the reality that He’s at work and is the one to fulfill that need.

During difficult times I’ve turned to Psalm 37 for guidance and comfort. It teaches, “Trust in the Lord and do good…. Delight yourself in the Lord…. Commit your way to the Lord…” (Psalm 37:3-5), and each time I’ve thought, “I can do that! Yup, no problem!” But then I come to verse 7, which does pose a problem: “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.” In case the admonition is missed the first time, it’s revisited in verse 34: “Wait for the Lord and keep his way.”

Oh, man! Who wants to do that, right?

And yet, there’s a certain beauty in waiting. It doesn’t mean sitting on a stump, frozen in place, submitting to God’s mercy. As devotional writer David McCasland explains, “wait in the Bible often means, ‘to look eagerly for, to hope, and to expect.’” As I’ve noted before, biblical hope isn’t “hope so,” but rather earnest expectation or confident assurance.

So when we read in Psalm 25:3, “No one whose hope is in (God) will ever be put to shame,” we can take that promise to the bank, spiritually speaking. We can still be actively involved, doing what we know to do about the situation that’s causing us to wait. At the same time, we can rest in the assurance that our waiting will not be in vain, that the Lord’s timing is perfect, and His resolution will meet or surpass our greatest dreams.