Faith — The Call – Thursday
TODAY’S VERSE
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (ESV)
Two of my sons work at a bank. I look forward to stories they tell about interactions, unpredictable situations, and requests that come their way as they assist customers. (By the way, they’re always careful not to divulge confidential information!) More recently, someone came to the bank with a large bag of cash. A parent had recently passed, and they found tens of thousands of dollars stashed in a chest. Some of the bills dated back to the 1950’s. My sons have learned that each day in that business is unique. (Incidentally, they both have worked at bank branches that were robbed! Everyone was fine, but that’s a story for another day!) One of the most frequent interactions my sons have with clients involves those experiencing some level of fraud. In fact, most of their training at the bank involves fraud mitigation. My sons talk about how saddened they are that people who are trusting are often exploited and lose money to scammers. Trust will always be required of us. And, as my sons constantly remind their customers, the key is knowing who to trust and who not to.
We sometimes forget the role that trust plays in our relationship with God. We usually think in terms of having faith in God, but that only goes so far. For example, we can have faith that God exists, that He created all things, and that He’s loving. But do we trust that He’ll really keep His promises? We might think of it this way: Faith is demonstrable trust that God is who He says He is and will do everything He’s promised to do.
The word for trust in today’s verse has a startling, literal meaning: “to lie helpless, facedown.” The early readers of this text might imagine a defeated soldier surrendering to a conquering general. It’s a strong reminder that I must surrender my feelings and assumptions in order to trust God. Trust (faith) requires humility. The opposite of trusting is spelled out in the verse as well: “do not lean on your own understanding.”
APPLICATION
Spend some time thinking about how you might have faith in God but lack trust in Him. Next time you come across the word faith in scripture, replace it with the word trust and see if it brings new meaning to what’s being said.
PRAYER
Father, thank You for truths that open my eyes to ways I can grow. I have faith, I want to grow in trust. As I do, the straight path You have for me will be even clearer.
