Trust Issues

Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.

Psalm 9:10 (NLT)

In the decade of ministry that God has blessed me with, I’ve been asked thousands of questions about God and faith. There are the deeper, theological-type questions, like: “What do the prophecies of Daniel mean?” Then, there are the lifestyle questions, like “Do I have to be vegan in order to be saved?” (The answer is no, BTW) But, the number one question I have been asked (in different ways) is, “How can I trust God?” The question points to a problem we all face in life. How can we trust in a God that we can’t see to take care of our entire existence?

In reality, there are times in life when we do have to trust others. For example, I trust a pilot to fly a plane from point A to point B, knowing that they have a lot of training and a copilot to help in case of emergency. However, I don’t trust the pilot to manage my finances, steer my career, or basically rule every aspect of my life. Why? Because I don’t know the pilot. Sure, maybe he greeted me when I got on the plane, but that’s pretty much it. He is a stranger to me.

This is the point that David is trying to make in this psalm. He wrote, “Those who know your name trust in you.” Ok, what? How does knowing the name of God give us trust in Him? The pilot in our example has a nametag, so I know his name too, but I don’t trust him beyond a small task! The issue is that names don’t necessarily have meaning anymore.

In Hebrew culture, names were everything. Your name indicated a ton about you. For example, Abram became Abraham – a slight name-change. However, that simple change took Abram, a simple nomad who was seeking after God, to Abraham, the father of God’s “Chosen People.” So, when David states “those who know your name” in regards to God, He is talking about those who know God personally and what He is all about. It’s about relationship.

So, in a nutshell, how do you trust God? By getting to know Him on a personal level. The second half of the verse is key here, “those who search for you.” In other words, the more time we spend with God, the easier it becomes to trust Him. Why? Because we come to know Him, and we discover what He is all about. And, armed with that truth and experience comes an unwavering trust in a God we can’t see, but we know.