I recently made a trip to the Phoenix area of Arizona - a four hundred plus drive across the desert to have a good time with good friends. I was staying in Scottsdale which is a very large area and needed to drive every which direction. I have a very poor sense of direction. When on a driving trip with my husband, he would sometime hand me a map so I could 'follow along'. Then he'd look over at me to find I had the map upside down and tell me north is always up!! Really?
I am very willing to admit I'm extremely flawed when it comes to getting from point A to point B; I need help. I was never good at reading maps so the iPhone navigation system has been a super big blessing and has allowed me the freedom to travel alone without getting hopelessly lost. But, I sometimes don't trust the information I receive. As I was driving around in AZ I discovered how important it was to trust the system. It seldom failed, if it did, the error was quickly corrected. I found I needed to TRUST if I didn't want to become a nervous wreck!
Definition of the word 'trust' - "The firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability or strength of someone or something."
How is this different from 'faith' I wondered. Did I need to have faith in my iPhone directions, or should I just trust it.
The Biblical definition of the word 'faith' is...
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1
That is amazing that we can believe in something, or someone, without any evidence or proof and still be certain in our belief. Some will say that 'faith' is the substance of hope; however the Bible says if we have faith we can be sure and certain. So where does this kind of faith come from? Again, the Bible has an answer.
"For it is by grace you have been saved (given eternal life), through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God."
Ephesians 2:8-9.
This verse goes on to say that God choose to give us faith as a gift, it is not something we must work for or earn, because He didn't want us to boost about having faith when others may not. Faith was given to me, it simply was a free gift.
If faith is the substance of hope, it requires no evidence, or proof, for belief or practice. The very nature of faith infers that no tangible evidence exists.
Faith is a gift, trust is a choice. What does the Bible say about trust?
"Every word of God is pure; he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him." Proverbs 30:5
I like this one in Proverbs 28:26 - "He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe."
Then we may ask, how do we acquire wisdom?
"The fear (reverence) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding." Psalms 111:10
The Bible also tells us that our earth was made by his power, and he founded the world by his wisdom, Jeremiah 10:12. Knowing this gives me peace and I don't worry about having to protect our earth from doom - God made it and God will take care of until the day we will have a new heaven and earth. This is where believers will be with God and Scripture seems to indicate that we'll have a job to do - personally, I don't want a job, the Lord has given me much work in this life. I'd just like to be surrounded with the glory of my God.
Trust and faith seem to be interchangeable, but they are different. I hear people say they are afraid to drive across a desert, or get on a busy freeway driving at brake-neck speeds because they have no trust in other drivers. I consciously make a choice to trust them, but in addition, I have been given the faith to believe that God is sovereign and in control of what happens to me. I believe when the Lord has given us faith, trust follows.
Thank you Lord for your wisdom, protection and love. Thank you for making me feel secure, no matter the circumstances - you are my Rock!
