Trust

Psalm 23:1 A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.

If you were going out of town, and you needed someone to house-sit and take care of your belongings, who would you trust to do that for you? If you needed someone to drive you to the airport in your car, drive your car while you were gone, and then come pick you up again in your car when you got back, who would you allow that duty? If you were contemplating creating a will and were trying to decide who would care for your children in the event of your death, who would you choose?

These are all important decisions involving trust. “Trust,” as they say, is “earned.” The question is: how is it earned? Is it time? Is it faithfulness? Is it wealth, or position, or power? How do we determine who we trust with the most valuable of our possessions?

What about your life? Who would you literally trust with your life? Who can you depend on? A person or two probably immediately spring to mind, but there are probably not many you would literally trust with your life. That’s a really important decision…

Psalm 23 is the ‘greatest hit’ of all-time when it comes to the music recorded music. David has “sold” more copies of this song than any other song in history. The words have been sung or spoken by more people than any other song in history. (Don’t you wish we could somehow know the tune of the song as it was written?)

Psalm 23 is the featured text at every funeral or memorial service I have ever attended or been associated with. Why would that be? What is it about Psalm 23 that brings such peace to the soul, especially in a time of intense grief when peace is the thing most needed by the soul?

The answer is: God knows. Period. It is just that simple. God knows.

Who else do you know that can bring peace to your soul? Who knows exactly what to say at exactly the right time to create a sense of assurance about eternity, when just such assurance is needed most? It is God alone Who can be trusted when all else fails, and when darkness closes in, and when the “shadow of death” lurks. It is God Whom we can trust with our lives because He is the only One Who can bring peace to our souls. Shouldn’t that alone tell us He is the only one we can trust with our eternal destiny?

-  Pastor Bill