Trusting in God

You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
Say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."
R. In you, my God, I place my trust. Psalm 91:1-2

Do you truly place your trust in God? REALLY? On a scale of 1 – 10 how good are you at trusting God? Think about it. Don’t skip over this question, because your or my response may say much about our relationship with our tender and loving God. Are you able to yield to His will and His way with every confidence that He is right and has your best future in mind? As it says in Jeremiah, He will give you a future filled with hope. Is that believable for you? Full transparency --- it’s sometimes very difficult for me. I believe that we are so conditioned and perhaps even affirmed in the belief that we can make our own way in life. Somehow right choices will yield hope and joy.

Psalm 91 (one of my favorites) encourages us to see life with complete reassurance that God has us covered. I envision myself tucked under God’s wing, covered safely from the darkness in life. It’s a Psalm for dwellers who seek protection, answers, safety, and hope.

“The key word here [in the scripture] is “refuge.” … What this term signifies is that the relationship between God and humanity is one of dependence. Believers are those who seek shelter, refuge, and protection in God (and by logical extension, who do not seek shelter, refuge, or protection in the idols that we normally chase after). According to Jerome Creach, closely related to the concept of refuge is the concept of trust, confidence, and reliance.¹ In other words, to turn to God as refuge is both to seek protection (forgiveness, blessing, hope, etc.) in God – and it is also to trust in God, to have faith that God will come through.

This is, after all, what much of the life of faith comes down to−putting one’s life in God’s hands and struggling to trust in and rely on God.” (from Working Preacher Commentary by Pastor Rolf Jacobson – 10.18.2009)

I have lots of work to do to keep building my trust in God’s providence for me. Let’s keep being dwellers in God’s unfailing love and grace and keep believing that His promises are true for me and for you.

Prayer:

Loving God, who makes refuge, forgive my weakness, my independence, and my lack of trust that you already have a plan to give me a future filled with hope. Help me always to find refuge in your loving care and presence. Nurture my faithfulness and trust as you hold me in your love.  In your name, I pray. Amen

¹Creach, The Destiny of the Righteous in the Psalms (St. Louis: Chalice, 2008), pp. 23-25.

Carol DeSchepper, LFCNA Executive Director