Do You Trust the Lord?

Do You Trust the Lord?

In reading Psalms, I’m always amazed by David’s faith and reliance on the Lord.

We fold under the smallest of pressures sometimes, and here he was, running and hiding for long periods of time because not once, but twice, people wanted to kill him.

Can you imagine the pain and torment he faced?

First, his best friend’s dad turned against him in 1 Samuel, and then his own son in 2 Samuel.

I know what that would do to me—the mind games and the complete and utter uncertainty that would take place and take hold of me.

But David continued to trust the Lord.

He knew God had called him to be king, and he trusted that God would fulfill His purpose. He understood that his position and his future were ultimately in God's hands.

It's amazing, isn't it? David's faith in the Lord. It makes sense why God called him a man after His own heart.

Now, let's not get things wrong here. David struggled, he pleaded, and he cried out, but through it all, he continued turning to God, trusting that He was with him and would deliver him.

In Psalm 3, we see this clearly.

O Lord, I have so many enemies; so many are against me.

2 So many are saying, “God will never rescue him!”

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3 But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.

4 I cried out to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy mountain.

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5 I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the Lord was watching over me.

6 I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies who surround me on every side.

7 Arise, O Lord! Rescue me, my God! Slap all my enemies in the face! Shatter the teeth of the wicked!

8 Victory comes from you, O Lord. May you bless your people.

Let's go over this Scripture.

In verses 1 and 2, David is just talking with God like a friend. He's telling God about what's going on.

This is good for us to see because it shows us how we can talk to God.

Like a friend.

Then we get to verses 3 and 4, and David is talking to God about how He is his protector and how He hears his prayers.

Part of me wonders if David was saying this to remind himself of what God can do.

I know I would be doing all I could to remind myself of who God is and what He can do if I were in any situation like David's.

Verses 5–7 show us the peace David has and also the confidence he places in the Lord.

Think about that for a moment. David was surrounded by trouble, yet he could lie down and sleep because he trusted God to watch over him.

David knew God, and he knew that through all things, God was the One who could comfort him and give him the peace and strength he needed.

We can see another example of David's trust in God when the son he had with Bathsheba became ill and died. This is found in 2 Samuel 12.

David knew his actions were wrong and that they had consequences. He pleaded with God for his child's life, fasted, and mourned. But when his son died, David got up, washed himself, and went to worship the Lord.

It's not that he wasn't sad or that he didn't love his child. He understood that he couldn't change what had happened. He had made a sinful decision, and there were consequences he had to face. Yet even in his grief and shame, he turned to God.

David knew that God was loving, but also just.

When I read through Psalms, so many of them feel like reading a diary.

Think about it. We read about the vulnerability, the struggles, the questions, and the praise through so much of what David experienced in his life.

Can we be this connected, vulnerable, honest, and trusting with God?

Yes, we can.

But we have to know who God is.

We have to understand His character and know that His understanding and purposes go far beyond what we may be able to see.

Our view of things is often so limited, while His is so much greater.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

That's why we have to trust in the Lord with all our hearts.

Trusting God is an important step.

And that right there is a question within itself:

Do you trust the Lord?

My answer is yes, but...

We may all find ourselves there at times because, in our humanness, we cannot fully grasp all of who God is and what He can do.

So, we question and we doubt.

Thank goodness God is merciful and patient.

David, here in Psalm 3, shows us how we can trust the Lord, remember what He provides, and find peace even in the hardest places of our lives.

His example, along with the examples we have in Daniel and Paul, is something we can learn from.

And then, of course, we have Jesus, who perfectly demonstrates trust and obedience to the Father.

All of these examples remind us of what it means to trust God and grow in our understanding of who He is.

Jesus, being the Son of God, has a relationship with the Father unlike any other.

No matter what our circumstances are, we can trust in the Lord and know with confidence that He knows what's ahead of us.

That doesn't mean we won't struggle, stumble, or experience loss. David certainly did.

But it does mean that God remains faithful through it all.

When we read through the Bible, we see over and over that God loves His children. Though trials come, He never leaves us nor forsakes us.

He wants us to draw closer to Him, not walk away from Him.

The last verse in Psalm 3 says:

"Victory comes from you, O Lord. May you bless your people."

This is something we can carry with us at all times.

Victory comes from the Lord.

Not from our ability to understand everything.

Not from our ability to control what happens next.

And not from our own strength.

It comes from Him.

So, let's remember the Word of God, trust that He is always with us, and hold on to the truth that His love and faithfulness never fail.

We may not know what lies ahead, but we can know the One who does.

And the more we know His character, the more confidently we can trust Him.