Better to trust the Lord than to trust people

Psalm 118:8 (NCV)

It is better to trust the Lord than to trust people.

Psalm 118 is the middle chapter of the Bible.  There are 594 chapters before and 594 chapters after Psalm 118.   Add the two 594s and you get 1188.  Guess what is the exact middle verse of the Bible.  Yep, Psalm 118:8.   Isn’t it “fitting” that the exact middle verse of the Bible speaks of trusting the Lord ahead of trusting people.  Trusting the Lord is a primary part of following the will of God for your life.

This verse is not saying that you should never trust other people.  It is saying that it is better for you to trust the Lord than to trust other people, including yourself.   Everyone sooner or later gets deceived or worse by another person.  Perhaps you have been seriously wronged by another person, especially if that wrong came from a family member you trusted.   It is a terrible experience to find out that someone you trusted lied to you. There might have been certain people in your life who you greatly admired, yet at some point they did something that greatly disappointed you and you still have wounds from that disappointment.  Being hurt by others builds walls within our mind such that we believe that we can trust no one, not even God. 

Nothing is coincidental with God.  There is great significance in the fact that the exact middle verse of the Bible speaks of trusting the Lord above all else. The Hebrew word translated into English as trust is “chacah” that literally means “to seek refuge, to flee for protection”.  God’s will is that you seek refuge or flee for protection in Him.  Can you sense the proactive nature of this word?  You are not to sit back and wait for God to come to you.  You are not to try other possibilities first and then when everything fails you then decide to trust Him.  You are to deliberately seek and find Him.  You are to run to Him, not casually turn to Him in a blasé manner.

But, do you truly make it a priority to trust Him?  Is it your first instinct to wait on Him or do you proceed to take action first without thinking about trusting Him?  It is a long process to develop trust in the Lord as a first instinct.  Our human nature makes us trust in ourselves first and it simply takes time and practice to reverse that natural process.  So if you admit that your first reaction when faced with life’s challenges is self-trust rather than trusting in the Lord, don’t berate yourself, it indeed takes time and practice. Plus it takes, like most if not all spiritual things, saturating your mind with God’s Word.  Here are some other Scriptures that teach about trusting in the Lord:

·  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6) (My favorite)

·  The steadfast in mind Thou will give perfect peace because he trusts in Thee.  (Isaiah 26:3)

·  Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the LORD will be joyful. (Prov 16:20)
 

·  The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe. (Prov 29:25)
 

·  Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord………Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters……” (Jeremiah 17:5,7)

·  Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. (I Timothy 6:17)

David McCasland wrote in Our Daily Bread, March 8, 2012: “In our life of faith, our resources can become the enemy of trust.  God wants us to depend on Him, not our own strength, whether physical, financial, or intellectual.”  Who do you depend on the most---God, another person, or yourself?  May your answer now or in the very near future be God.  Trusting in the Lord enables Him to reveal His power through you.  Trusting in the Lord positions you well within His will for your life.  Trusting in the Lord will never disappoint you.  Trusting in the Lord gives you security and peace of mind that no other source can give you.  Trust in Him and He will act (Psalm 37:5).