Happy are those who make the LORD their trust,
who do not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after false gods.
Psalm 40:4 (NRSV)
How easily do we trust God? We profess that we believe in God. We worship God. But do we really trust God? When we make decisions, do we seriously pray and wait to hear what God has to say to us? When God asks us to do something, especially if it makes us uncomfortable, are we brave enough to trust God to be there with us? As the saying goes, if we want to walk on water, we have to get out of the boat. We say it and think it, but how often do we honestly do it?
The Psalmist tells us that to put our trust completely and utterly in God will make us happy. He then goes on to say that this happiness is dependent on trusting in God rather than following false gods. Some people literally worship the false gods of wealth, status and popularity. These are false gods that we usually easily recognise, and we often see on the news that these false gods rarely lead to happiness.
Perhaps we trust in God more than we trust in these false gods, but how true is our trust. How many of us have little superstitions that we do when making a decision or wanting something to happen? Some examples of these are touching wood, or crossing fingers. Perhaps, instead of these little superstitions, we should speak a word of prayer to God and put trust in him. According to the Psalmist, complete trust in God makes us happy.
Hymns that speak of trust in God include When we walk with the Lord, by John Henry Sammis, which speaks of the great benefits in putting trust in God. Also, Stuart Townend’s adaptation of Psalm 23 speaks of trusting in God alone.
Trustworthy God,
We thank you that you are always there for us, no matter what.
Help us to put our complete trust in you,
rather than in the false promises and superstitions of this world.
Help us to trust in you,
even when it may seem difficult or uncomfortable;
To trust you in the good times and the bad.
We thank you that you are there for us,
even when we don’t realise that you are.
We ask that you will still be with us, now and always.
Amen.
You can download this Prayer for the Week here.
Prayers for January 2019 by Revd Claire Rawlinson
Image: photo by Skye Studios on Unsplash
