Trusting God is at the heart of the gospel, but it often seems an irritatingly simplistic solution to complex problems. Ps 131 concludes with the words ‘Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.’ (Ps 131:3) Prov 3:5-6 tells us we must trust in the Lord with all our heart and learn not to put our weight on our own understanding. So often, however, we chafe at the passivity implied in trusting God.
The human tendency is to want to take things into our own hands and sort things out through our own ingenuity and skill. The Bible constantly warns us against this, showing us many examples of what happens when we do just that: Sarah and Abraham thinking God needed help in producing this promised son, coming up with the solution of Abraham sleeping with Hagar to hurry things along (Gen 16); Jacob plotting and scheming to get his birthright (Genesis 25); David plotting with Joab to cover up his adultery and thereby stooping to murder (2 Sam 11). What God requires is a child-like trust in Him all the time; trust is not something we start with and then discard as we progress. Jesus said, ‘unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’ (Matt 18:3) Don’t despise the simple things: trusting and hoping in God truly are the way to satisfaction and contentment.
