I Dare Not Trust In The World

Trusting in God can look different for different people, in different circumstances, and on different days. The one thing that is the same every time is the God we are putting our trust in and how we are blessed by our trust in Him.

Time after time the same thing happens; I put my trust in God, I take it back and try to regain control, I lose control and my fear and doubt take over, and I must painfully realize that I need to trust that God has everything handled. It is a cycle that I hope to one day not fall into anymore.

I have been on one of those cycles for the past month. I trusted that God was in control of a situation in my life and then a friend of mine said something that brought fear and doubt into my mind. With a few simple words from a human being, my trust in the Lord wavered and caused me weeks of anxiety, fear, and a sense of trying to control in a world of unknown. I knew what was going on, but I could not for the life of me pull out of it and trust that the Lord’s sovereignty is stronger than our human fault. Pulling myself out of it was going to take me fully surrendering to God and His control in my life.

In Jeremiah 17:6-8, two kinds of people are compared: those who place their trust in the Lord through every circumstance, and those who listen to the world and allow the world to decide for them how they will think and react. In the book of Jeremiah, the people of Judah were listening to the world instead of to God. They were placing their trust in false gods and a military alliance instead of trusting God’s promises and His power.

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord. That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.” Jeremiah 17:5-6

It is easy to trust in the world. When we listen to the news and the destruction around us, listen to opinions of those around us, turn to others for guidance, or even when we think we know what is best; we are trusting in the world instead of on God. Our trust in the world will lead to fear, anxiousness, depression, sin, shame, and loneliness. We will miss the joy and the goodness of our lives because our hope is not in the Lord but in the things around us.

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8

Putting our trust in the Lord is not as easy but it is the most rewarding. We will never run dry because we are planted by living waters that fill us with peace, hope, joy, and fulfillment. When our trust is in the Lord, there is no fear or worry. No matter what may come our way, we are planted on solid ground and will not be broken during a storm. We will not wither when struggles arise.

When we realize our trust in the Lord is being clouded by the world, we can immediately make a switch. It is never too late to switch our thinking. Some practical ways to switch your thinking is by simply turning off the television or not picking up the phone to call a friend for advice. These things are sometimes needed but God calls us to lean on Him first. If God intends to speak to you through a Christian friend, He will make it happen. You do not have to intervene. Another way is to pick up your Bible, open it up, and allow God to lead you to the passage He wants you to read. God’s Word is alive and active and will lead you where you need it the most. And last but not least is prayer. Go to God in full submission by being honest with your needs. Trusting Him is revealing everything to Him. Try sitting silent in His presence as He fills your needs.

Look at your life right now. What are you trying to control instead of trusting that God has everything already planned for you? Dependence on God is fully trusting in Him and drowning out everything else around us. Don’t get caught in the world’s web, be free in your trust in God.

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