Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

The Holy Spirit is challenging us to consider who has our best intentions, when deciding who to trust.

Jesus said in Today’s scripture, John 10:10 (NLT)…
[10] The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

Consider…
“In God We Trust” is the official motto of the United States, appearing on US currency and in other public spaces. It became the national motto in 1956, although it first appeared on coins in 1864.

Sometimes I believe trusting in God is more of a motto than our modus operandi, which according to Oxford Languages is a particular way or method of doing something, especially one that is characteristic or well-established.

Just like the words on our money, I think we overlook trusting God for our provision, because we’re focused on using what He provides to satisfy our pleasures.

The Holy Spirit reminded me that James 4:2-3 (NLT) admonishes…
[2] You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. [3] And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.

It seems like we see God’s provision being about getting what we want rather than trusting that He provides what’s best for us.

Because we tend to trust when we want or need something, I believe we semi-trust God.

But Proverbs 3:5 (NLT) tells us to…
[5] Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.

Trusting God with ALL of our hearts means trusting Him to supply everything we need. That sounds like Psalm 23:1 (KJV)…
[1] The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

We should trust God for who He is, rather than what we want Him to give.

Who God is brings me to a key point, we should be careful to only trust the someone who is trustworthy. Proverbs 20:6 (NLT) asks…
[6] Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is truly reliable?

Fortunately, Numbers 23:19 (ERV) tells us…
[19] God is not a man; he will not lie. God is not a human being; his decisions will not change. If he says he will do something, then he will do it. If he makes a promise, then he will do what he promised.

That’s good to know, because 2 Timothy 2:13 (NLT) tells us God’s trustworthiness isn’t dependent on us. It says…
[13] If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.

That’s why Jeremiah 17:7 (ERV) promises…
[7] “But those who trust in the Lord will be blessed. They know that the Lord will do what he says.

Accordingly, because we can trust God, we can follow the wisdom of 1 Peter 5:7-8 (NLT)…
[7] Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. [8] Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

These verses bring us back to today’s question, who can you trust?

The answer is the one who cares for you, rather than the one that wants to destroy you.

As I write that, I think of how God demonstrated how much He cared. Romans 5:8 (NLT) explains…
[8] But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

Also, Jesus declared in John 10:11 (NLT)…
[11] “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.

The way you can know who you can trust is by remembering Jesus sacrificed His life for you rather than the enemy who wants to sacrifice you.

Accordingly, obey the wisdom of James 4:7 (NLT) that says…
[7] So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Notice the order of operations is submitting to God, which represents total trust in Him, then resisting the devil.

That makes me think of Ephesians 6:10-13 (NLT), which instructs…
[10] A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. [11] Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. [12] For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. [13] Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.

You see our strength in the Lord and His mighty power is an exercise of trust that He will protect us, regardless of the enemy’s attacks.

The Holy Spirit reiterated the protection we can trust God for with Psalms 91:2-5 (ERV)…
[2] I say to the Lord, “You are my place of safety, my fortress. My God, I trust in you.” [3] God will save you from hidden dangers and from deadly diseases. [4] You can go to him for protection. He will cover you like a bird spreading its wings over its babies. You can trust him to surround and protect you like a shield. [5] You will have nothing to fear at night and no need to be afraid of enemy arrows during the day.

As I wrote that, the Holy Spirit showed me faith, which is required to please God, is trust in action. Hebrews 11:6 (NLT) says…
[6] And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

Believing God exists is trusting in Him.

The Holy Spirit gave me an example of this trust with Hebrews 11:8 (NLT)…
[8] It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.

The Holy Spirit is asking us if we trust God enough to go without knowing?

Before I can answer that question, the Holy Spirit directed me to Daniel 3:15-18 (NLT), which shared…
[15] I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?” [16] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. [17] If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. [18] But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

The Holy Spirit is asking if we, like the three Hebrew Boys will trust God will, even if He doesn’t.

I just realized, I have always thought the scripture said God is able, but it actually said God will. So again I ask, will you trust God will, even if He doesn’t?

This leads to our close, with my favorite line in today’s song…

Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine
He’s been my fourth man in the fire, time after time

And my declarative chorus…

I trust in God, my Savior
The one who will never fail
He will never fail
I trust in God, my Savior
The one who will never fail
He will never fail

Who can you trust? Trust in God, He will never fail!

Today’s song is…
Trust In God

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)