Where Is Your Trust?

Psalm 118 is a great psalm about God’s mercy and protection. My focus today is on verses 5-9. Here they are: “I called on the Lord in distress; the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place. 6  The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? 7  The Lord is for me among those who help me; therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me. 8  It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.  9 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.” Where do you place your ultimate trust? I don’t think we can get through a single day without placing some trust in men. Simply driving on a highway requires placing great trust in people who are driving the other cars; that they will not hit you. Eating at a restaurant indicates trust that someone in the kitchen will not poison your food. We cannot live without placing trust in others and it is difficult and sometimes tragic when that trust is violated. And that will happen. Others will violate our trust. When the psalmist writes in verse 6, “What can man do to me?”, my initial answer is “well, man can do a LOT to me”. And man can cause great harm. I believe the point of that phrase is nuanced by the phrase, “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear”. Yes, man can do many harmful things. However, our ultimate trust can be found in the Lord. God will use even the hurtful things of man for our good if we trust Him. That’s not easy but it is helpful. Our ultimate trust must be placed in the One who is always trustworthy. Men will let us down but God will lift us up. Please place your trust in God…more than any man.