Trust in God (Thursday, Lent 2)

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It not only takes two or more to tango or to build partnerships, it also takes TRUST. It takes trust to build fruitful partnerships and to work as a team. Think about the situation of marriages where trust is lacking; think about friendships and relationships where the parties do not trust one another; think about companies, firms and agencies where workers are suspicious of one another and can’t believe one another. There will never be a meaningful growth and development in those areas. 


God created us to be co-creators, to work with him in bringing things into existence (cf. be fruitful and multiply – Gen. 1:28), to be in partnership with him. For us to be fruitful or productive, we need to listen to Him and trust His words. It is like company workers: they have no option than to listen to the manager or the boss, otherwise they won’t be effective. If there is no trust in our relationship with God, that relationship suffers and the purpose for which we are created will be defeated.


Jeremiah and the Psalmist (cf. Jer. 17:5-10 and Psa. 1:1-2.3.4.6) describe the person who trusts in the Lord as blessed: the person is happy because he/she will be like a tree planted beside the flowing waters and all that he/she does will prosper. In sum, such a relationship of trust will experience phenomenal growth, productivity and progress. But cursed is anyone who trusts in man because he/she will be like a shrub in the desert (a shrub in the desert does not grow; year in year out, it is always as it is). He/she will dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land (nothing grows in a salt land). By all these descriptions, such a person will never experience any growth morally, spiritually and otherwise. Why? Because the person only trusts in man, not in God. God’s words make no sense to anyone who doesn’t trust Him. And that is why such a person will remain stagnated in sin and unbelief. 


A good example of a person who did not trust God is the rich man in Luke 16:19-31: he took God and his word for granted while he was still alive. He had material wealth but did not help the poor Lazarus. And when he died, he went to a place of torment because of that negligence. We can suffer eternally not just because of sins of commission but because of sins of omission and negligence: and that is when we fail to do what we are supposed to do; when we fail to show love.


As far as our Christian life is concerned, charity is not an option; it is an obligation. To be charitable is to partner with God who is love. If we take God’s call to love for granted, if we do not trust His words as He calls us to love and be of help to those in need, then how can we live eternally with him?


Prayer:

Lord, help me to trust and love You so much to the extent that I can do "anything" for Your sake, Amen!




Have a fruitful Lenten journey!

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