A Trip to the Doctor's Office
“And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.” – Psalm 9:10
My daughter’s follow-up visit to the pediatrician was met with understandable trepidation. She seemed to have a detailed recollection of her previous appointment when the doctor poked her with that long, shiny, pointy thingy. I had the daunting task of convincing her that the temporary pain she endured would prevent her from getting sick in the future. To the mind of a 3-year old, the concept of future is abstract at best. In hindsight, I now know that our trip to the doctor’s office wasn’t just about her getting the necessary vaccines. Just as I wanted to reassure her that everything would be fine, I had to be honest with myself and ask, “Am I trusting my Heavenly Father the same way I’m expecting her to trust me?”
The poetic prose of the Psalms has ministered to me over the years in ways that even nowadays, I can’t explain. This particular verse continues that cycle. According to preceding verse, trusting the Lord hinges on 2 key elements:
#1 – Selfish motives must die. When the Psalmist says “And those who know Your name will put their trust in You”, he’s saying in order to trust in the Lord, we have to abandon trusting in ourselves. To know the Lord’s “name” means to be His follower, recognizing His authority and maintaining loyalty to Him (see Psalm 91:14). Trusting in the name of the Lord in the Old Testament is the equivalent of saving faith in the New Testament. In the same way we trust Him with our salvation, we can trust Him with the seemingly insurmountable details of our lives. In His name, victory is found in defeat, glory is found in shame and life is found in death. For that reason, trusting is difficult because man is selfish by nature. But when we keep God on the periphery of our lives, we have no business accusing Him of not being there for us when we need help. J.P. Morgan said, “A man always has two reasons for doing anything: a good reason and the real reason.” Motives matter. Selfish motives disqualify us from walking in trust because God only endorses that which will fulfill His purposes.
#2 – Righteousness must be pursued proactively & intentionally. The Psalmist goes on to say, “For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You”. Here, he’s giving us a glimpse into the co-existence of faith and works. What we believe (faith) and what we do (works) are not mutually exclusive; they work hand-in-hand. Our works are a by-product of the faith we exhibit. In other words, the ability to trust develops when the one who expresses faith in God through Christ graduates from merely a statement of declaration to a stance of discipline where cultivating spiritual depth by expending energy, resources and time is the norm.
My daughter sat nervously on my lap as the doctor prepared to administer the necessary shots. Before she even felt the prick of the needle, I saw tears on her face. I asked her, “Are you okay?” She said, “No, but I will be. Just hold me tight.” Lord, help me to be as transparent with my trust in You as my daughter was with me that day in the doctor’s office.
“Our inability to trust God is the equivalent of slander to His character.” – Anonymous
Edifying, Encouraging & Enlightening,
Excelsius
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