Who Will You Trust?

August 05, 2022

Who Will You Trust?

By Sally Lombardo

“You will say in that day: ‘I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.’ With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” (Isaiah 12:1-3)

Enhance today’s devotional by reading Isaiah 12

Isaiah oscillates back and forth in his writing, moving from the present day to the future and sometimes back into the past. "In that day", as we have seen, can mean the future day when God is our ultimate salvation, and Christ comes to redeem the world, but it also means today…now… this day. The Bible asks us to choose who we will trust. When Joshua crosses the Jordan into Jericho with the migrating nation of Israel, he looks at them and says, “If serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve….As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15 NIV).

A few days ago, I had to make an unexpected choice about trust. I was staying at a quaint Airbnb for a series of meetings at my seminary. The tiny apartment was over a garage and looked out on a lovely vegetable garden. There was a well that fed a large tin swimming pool in the owner’s backyard. In the cool of the evening, I sat outside on the balcony and watched two kids playing with chickens by the pool. Before I went inside, I decided to grab a book from my car. Heading barefoot down the stairs, I was at the last step before seeing the huge brown snake on the driveway gravel below. I almost stepped on him. Backing up slowly, I saw he had diamond markings and had turned to look at me.

When I got inside my little space, I sat for a long time at the window, fairly startled I had almost landed on who knows what kind of snake. I thought it was weird I had watched the garden for so long without seeing him. Honestly, I was afraid the snake would still be at the bottom of the stairs in the morning, or worse, that he would come up through the garage into the house. I had to become calm despite that encounter; I had to know that whatever happened, I trusted God to be my defense in all things. I played over the symbolic events in my mind. I decided that whenever I meet up with snakes, opposition, or adversity, I can trust God to be my “well of salvation” on any day—this one and the days to come.

Reflection:

What has happened to you lately that you might describe as a “snake in the grass” of your life? How can you respond with trust in God? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Recommended Resource:

Why is trust so difficult? Unlike all the broken promises of this world, God’s redeeming promises are absolute, trustworthy, and true. The covenants of God afford us with abundant reasons to trust God with his plan for our lives. Trusting God: Redeeming Promises of the Word small group Bible study explores the six major redeeming promises of God found in his Word. Learn more about God’s commitment to his people, the nature of a covenant, and how you can find your security in being a child of God’s redeeming promises. Learn more about God’s promises today.