Who do you trust? Parent? Spouse? Friend? Hero? Have you ever been hurt because you trusted someone? "The key is to get to know people and trust them to be what they are. Instead, we trust people to be who we want them to be--and when they're not, we cry" (unknown). "Me, I'm dishonest, and you can always trust a dishonest man to be dishonest. Honestly, it's the honest ones you have to watch out for . . . " (Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow in Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean). Trust is a good thing, and we should trust people, but there is a difference between trust and faith, and God is the only One who deserves the trust that equates to faith.

"Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in Him" (Psalm 32:10); "Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods" (Psalm 40:4); "Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun" (Psalm 37:5); "Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord" (Proverbs 16:20); "Fear of man will prove a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe" (Proverbs 29:25); "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6); "But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit" (Jeremiah 17:7-8); Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you may also be where I am" (John 14:1-3).

I had a very dear friend once with whom I shared a very close spiritual walk. For many years we attended church together, prayed together, even sponsored youth trips together. I really trusted him, and I think he trusted me. I considered our friendship unshakable. Then one day, we hit a brick wall, and sadly, the friendship that had been building over nearly 20 years was gone--irretrievably, irreversibly gone. We don't harbor hate; but we no longer harbor trust. Happily, my trust in God was not anchored in that person, nor his in me, and though we walk different paths now, we still walk with God.

People are only people, sinful creatures in a sinful world, and sooner or later they will let us down; but God has complete integrity, and in Him we can always trust. What He says, He will do, and He's been proving that for thousands of years."Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey" (John H. Sammis).

Lord, I trust in You. You are not a "man that you should lie, nor a son of man that you should change your mind," but You are the Living Lord and by You I "live and move and have my being." Lead me, guide me, teach me, and help me to serve You all the days of my life. I look forward to that place You have prepared for me. Amen