Is It Too Easy to Trust?

Trust is a word that's used a lot in the Bible. It's used a lot by followers of Y'shua. It's used by a lot of people in terms of God. But it's an easy word to use...too easy.

"Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in Me," Y'shua says (John 14.1)

In business, we also talk a lot about trust. One wag said we trust the brake mechanic we don't know more than we trust the person who works with us or for us, whom we do know. Trust is described as having several dimensions:

• Competency
• Reliability/dependability
• Approachability/acceptance (I don't trust people I can't approach or who don't like me)
• Integrity/honesty

In groups, I ask, "Do I really trust God in all those dimensions? Can I say whole-heartedly that God is competent? That He's dependable and shows up when He says He will? That He likes me for who I am and with whom I can share my secrets and shame? That He will do what He says He'll do and His values haven't changed?"

When I taught the book of James, it seems those are the questions James, the brother of Y'shua, challenges us with. He seems to say, "If you really believe _____, then you can count trials, suffering and tests with joy. If you really believe _____, then you will ask God for wisdom. If you really believe _____, you will recognize the good that comes from God our Father. If you really believe _____, it will be reflected in your actions--like curbing your tongue and through good works--and not just be a faith that's spoken..."

If I'm not living out the faith as shown in James' letter, then there may be some aspect of trusting God that isn't 100 percent. There may be something that I don't really, really believe in my heart and so hold back protecting myself.

How about you? How much do you rely on God's trustworthiness--His competence, His reliability, His approachability, His integrity? And how much are you relying on wealth, family, friends, fame, etc. to meet your needs and solve your problems?