Failed Trust

Failed Trust

Jeremiah 17:7

But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,

          She was small and frail as she opened the gate to approach the house.  Her form was hunched over and she walked slowly and in obvious pain, yet her countenance was bright and her eyes smiled with light.  As she slowly climbed the porch steps and knocked on the door, she stood there for a time until a younger woman slowly opened the door and peered through the narrow opening. 

          “Good morning Molly, it is so wonderful to see you today.  May I come in and visit for a moment?” 

Slowly the door opened and the little woman stepped through the storm door and into the house.  The house was dark inside and only muted light shone through the curtains to illuminate a home that was littered with neglect and uncleanness.  That mattered not to the little woman as she came in and embraced Molly with a warm hug. 

          “Molly I have missed seeing you and you are so special to me I had to come and see how you were.” 

          Molly voiced in an obvious platitude, “Oh, I have been fine.” 

          The little woman spoke right to the heart, “Molly you are not fine.  Sit down and talk to me.  Tell me what is going on in your life.”

          “Hah”, Life, what life, I don’t have a life.”  She began to tear up, as the little woman gently reached up and touched her cheek.  “All I have is an existence and I don’t even want to do that any more.” 

          “Now, Now”, said the little woman as she set Molly down in the chair and went about opening some curtains and letting light into the room. “Let me make some tea for us and we can talk.”

          “I am so ashamed for you to come into my house this way, it is such a mess.  I guess it just reflects the state my life is in right now. Ever since Dave left me, nothing matters anymore.  I’m not hungry, I can’t sleep and there is nothing in me that wants to go on living.  He was my life, my friend, my support, the one I trusted and depended on.”

Molly began to sob uncontrollably as she went on, “why did he betray me?  What did I do wrong?  Why did he stop loving me?” 

The little woman hugged her and held Molly as she wept and sobbed uncontrollably now.  After Molly began to regain some of her composure the little woman spoke.

“You know Molly, if we set our trust only in people, even those we love; we will have times of disappointment.  People are often conditional in their love, they have weaknesses and shortcomings and even if they don’t mean too, they often fall short of our expectations and dreams.  You are right in feeling hurt, disappointed and crushed.  Those are perfectly normal feelings and emotions, but life isn’t over.  There is a deep wound in your heart that must heal, but with time it will heal; meanwhile life must go on.  Molly, you are a lovely woman and a warm and caring person.  I certainly won’t justify Dave in what He did to you, but now it is time to reach deeper inside and find where your true foundation lies. 

Do you remember the Bible study we had about a year ago?  The passage in Jeremiah 17:5-9 where it speaks about where we put our trust?  May I read that to you again?” 

Molly nodded to the affirmative as the little woman reached into her bag and pulled out her Bible. Opening it to the passage, she read, “⁵ This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD. ⁶ He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert in a salt land where no one lives. ⁷ “But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,

whose confidence is in him. ⁸ He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit ⁹ The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? ¹⁰ “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.”

(Continued)

Molly cried out, “I’ll never trust anybody ever again!”

“Molly”, replied the little woman, “There has to be a balance in where we put our trust.  If all our trust is in a person other than our God, then what happens when the person is no longer there or fails that trust?  The important thing for you to know is that God wants to be your foundation of trust and not man.  When we put our trust only in man or his abilities and security then we have robbed God of the trust that belongs to Him alone.  It is not wrong to build trust with one another on a natural level in relationships, but that must never take the place of the confidence and trust we have in our God. With that trust, when all else fails in life, we maintain that reliance and confidence we have through faith in Christ.  It doesn’t mean we won’t have adversities and tragedies like you are experiencing that touch our lives.  What it does mean is that we always have hope and know that our life is not in a person, but in a Savior.  Jesus promises us, He will never leave us or forsake us.  There are securities and needs in life that can only be met by the Lord.  This is your time to return that trust to Him.  Jesus is a husband that will never leave us, betray us or fail us.  He must remain the foundation support and trust we lean on before any man.  Even now, He wants to be the husband to you that Dave failed to be.  He wants to take you into His arms to comfort and heal you, because He loves you with an everlasting and unfailing love.  Molly, Psalms 9:10 says, “And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.” 

Many years ago when I was struggling with my husband’s lack in meeting my emotional needs, I remember being angry about his insensitivity, his lack of communication and what seemed to me, his lack of really caring.  I was crying out to the Lord about these feelings I had and one night as I slipped into bed after my husband was already asleep, I snuggled up to him and as I put my cold little feet by his legs he opened them to let me warm them up.  I thought, “Oh, that feels so good.”  Then the Lord spoke something to me I’ll always remember.  He said, “Your husband will never be able to meet the needs that only I can meet.  He is for the taste, the touch, the feel, but I am for the mind, emotion and will.”  It was then I realized I was expecting and trusting my husband to meet needs and expectations in me that only the Lord could meet.  Molly, let your trust and security rest in Christ.  He will help you through this time.  He will lift you and restore you again to that place of wholeness. 

Molly, may I pray for you.”

As the little woman prayed, Molly wept and agreed silently as a work of the Holy Spirit and the love of God was done in her that day.  Molly renewed her vow to trust wholly in the Lord and not in the arm of the flesh.  That day she came to know Jesus in a new and fresh way as her husband, lover and friend; the One she could really count on and trust in.

Blessings,

#kent

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