In a recent conversation, a subject caught and held my attention and I have been mauling on it since then. I suppose it was the context within which it was illustrated that grabbed me. Knowing myself, this doesn't come as a surprise. Discussions about God, Love and Relationship commands my rapt attention and this conversation covered all three.
The Word of God is truth and true irrespective of if you can figure it out or if it fits into your understanding. The God part in the discuss was irrefutable but how this played in life, love and relationship I needed to 'hear for myself'. So I went in search of clarity and understanding. If you are wondering what this said subject is, I will not hold you in suspense any longer. The subject is 'Trust', premised on God's instruction to 'Trust No Man' and the elusiveness of this trust we seek to place in others and things. He posed the question and I paraphrase "Why would you set yourself up to trust anyone when God clearly instructs "do not put your trust in man", doing this puts us in direct disobedience with the Word of God." I found this to be a deeply reflective premise.
On the subject, I looked up Bible verses relating to trust. Obviously trust has no place in man (or woman) for those who wish to take it literally, since God repeatedly commands us against it. Yet despite this, the need to trust holds strong sway. In my mind, this then begs the question 'Why is this so?'. In pondering this, the Holy Spirit laid it on my heart that trust is an illusion for the truth God would have us know. In other words, trust is a usurper of what is true.
The thing about asking and opening your mind to learn from God is the clarity he gives on the subject. Acceptance though is a different matter. Knowledge is given of the Holy Spirit but acceptance is entirely up to you. However, irrespective of our chosen position, the truth remains the truth - Never changing. And I wanted to understand this truth and how trust tied into it. May the Holy Spirit convict our intellect as He opens up our understanding.
Trust according to God is not to be applied to anyone or anything outside Him. To buttress this, here are some of the things God brought to my understanding. When you trust someone or when you are looking to trust someone other than God, you are looking for a place to anchor a hope, a desire or an expectation. In other words, you are looking for a replacement for God in that moment or situation. Therefore, 'I trust you' is to say 'I have faith in you' and 'I believe in you'. Whatever you have "faith" in usurps the place of God in that situation.
God is passionate about this issue of trust and how it relates to our relationship with him. Jeremiah 17 Vs 5 "This is what the Lord says: Cursed is the man who trusts in man, who draws his strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from God".Trusting in man (or woman) be it your boss, your spouse, your friends, your family etc potentially turns your heart away from God. Trust is God's sole indispensable role. It is his domain, His spot in our lives. Throughout the Bible, we are exhorted to trust God and Him alone. We were warned against trusting in people and things or even in ourselves as all such 'trust' is vain. But as usual, the world via our emotions have sold us a spin on trust and left us in a tizz!
What do we seek when we put our trust in anything outside of God? We seek comfort, we seek assurance or reassurance, security, safety etc. But more underlined is a search for love. Contrary to what our emotions would have us believe, trust undermines our ownership on Love: To Love, to be Love and to be Loved. In case you missed it, therein lies the truth trust seeks to short change. Trust places a condition on Love, therefore trust is a lie; a usurper. It has no place in Love. Love as God intends and not as the world says dispenses of trust. If we love as God would have us love, we would have no need for the illusion of trust. Where there is the Knowledge of Love, trust becomes obsolete. When we exist in Authentic Love we would have no need for trust. Instead of saying 'I trust you', we would then say 'I Love you'. Instead of seeking to trust, we would seek to Love. Love dispels of all the things we would that trust assuage for us. Love does not commit adultery, Love does not steal, Love does not kill. Love does not covet, Love does not lie. (Romans 13 Vs 8 - 10)
When we seek trust, we are exhibiting a hunger for something more, something deeper, something tangible. Essentially, what we desire in the real sense of it is not trust but love and what we should be is not trustworthy but loving. It is not about our trustworthiness but our loveliness. Love is the embodiment of us as created by God. Love is our authentic nature. Trust is about 'what I want' rather than 'What I am' (Our authentic nature). Trust is a shadow rung on the ladder to the heights of our authentic self and existence.
For all its 'feel goodness' and sense of security, trust is deceptive. It binds us in disobedience and blinds us to our disobedience. We do not question this because trust makes us comfortable. In this also lies its deceptive illusion. For at the root of our need to trust are our fears. Trust in a roundabout spool feeds our perceptions of lack, unworthiness and 'separatedness' while presenting as a safety that is reassuring to our senses. We should, therefore, be mindful and wary with trust. Anything contrary to the Word of God no matter how much 'common sense' it makes is a lie. The truth of God is neither common nor does it make human sense.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding - Proverbs 3 Vs 5
SPICY - Speak Positively to Inspire and Cause to Yield!
