| “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.” |
| —Isaiah 26:4 |
Some people are naturally trusting. They enter every relationship with a positive attitude and always look for the very best possible outcome. It doesn’t ever occur to them that the persons with whom they have developed relationships might, at some point, prove untrustworthy. Frankly, I envy these open, accepting, and positive-attitude people.
Then, there are people like me. Because of my personal history, dating back to childhood experiences, I approach every relationship with suspicion, expecting any new person who crosses my pathway to eventually betray me. It is quite likely that my generally negative attitude creates a self-fulfilling prophecy time after time. So, a question that people like me tend to ask is “How long should I trust him or her?”
A logical answer from my inner voice might be: “Until that person does something untrustworthy.”
“But, shouldn’t I stay on my guard? Shouldn’t I microscopically examine everything this new person does or says to make certain that one is not somehow betraying my trust?”
“No, actually you shouldn’t” my inner voice replies.
This dialogue plays out in my mind. Although I must admit that as I have gotten older, it plays out less often. That’s partly because I don’t have the opportunity to form many new relationships. But, I can’t help wondering if a more positive attitude on my part, in the past, might have made it easier for people to have a relationship with me.
Because of this background, I am very intrigued by a statement the Prophet Isaiah has made in Isaiah 26:4:
Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.
In our relationship with God, we must learn to trust Him implicitly and continually. He will never betray our trust. He will never let us down. He will always surround us with His loving care. We can count on Him in every situation.
For someone like me, who has lived his whole life waiting for the people around me to betray my trust, can you begin to imagine how comforting the reality of God’s faithfulness is? It is simply astonishing. And, I am so very, very grateful.
As we begin a new day, let’s truly be thankful for the constancy of God. He never changes. As a result, to answer the question: “How long should I trust Him?” we can reply with absolute confidence that we can truly trust Him forever!
Based on a blog originally posted on Tuesday, January 10, 2017
