A Question of Trust

Stringing Christmas lights along the front of my house confronted me with a choice. I could not quite reach that last loop. So do I climb down for the dozenth time, move the ladder over, climb back up, and make my loop? Or do I lean out, one foot on the next-to-the-top rung, grab the gutter in one hand, and use the other to desperately try to lasso the last nail? There were a lot of biblical principles at work in this moment, but one of them was trust. Did I trust the soft soil of our flower bed to support the ladder when I leaned out? Did I trust that gutter to hold me? Did I trust my own coordination?

Royal Psalm 20 confronts us with life’s most basic question: what are you trusting in? Many of us say we trust in God. But really, our security comes from enough money in the bank. Others of us count on our health, strength, and ability to control our lives. Some lean all our weight on success, popularity, winning the acceptance and good opinions of people. We count on finding the right romantic relationship, or our kids “turning out well” to give our lives meaning. The problem with these objects of our trust is not that they are evil, but unreliable. In a “day of trouble,” any of them can “collapse and fall (1, 8).” They can be taken from us, or fail us. Then where are we? A lot of us are tense, anxious, fearful, or angry because we are trusting in an unstable support.

God alone is big enough, good enough, and faithful enough to hold us up. That’s what King David teaches God’s people here. It’s the eve of a big battle— “day of trouble!” As David rides out to fight, Israel’s safety and freedom are on the line. Where should they put their trust in such uncertainty? Most would start counting up horses and chariots, the measure of their military power. A huge army and plenty of weapons gave people something to rely on. But God pointed his anointed kings to a different source: Don’t rely on your horses and your chariots to save you. Rely on me. Put your confidence in me and in nothing else, and watch how I will take care of you (see Deut 17:14–20).

So as David prepares to fight, he urges this dependent faith on his people. What can protect us in our day of trouble? Only the God of Jacob (1)! He will send help and support when his people call (2). His heavenly resources are unlimited and freely available when we pray (3). He can grant the king’s heart’s desire and fulfill his plans and petitions (4–5). He can save us and fill us with shouts of joy (5)! David is trusting in Yahweh alone: “setting up his banners in the name of God (5).” Others can trust in horses and chariots, but “we trust in the name of Yahweh our God! He makes us rise and stand upright, and our enemies collapse and fall (7–8).” The people get the message. They pray: “O Yahweh, save the king! May he answer us when we call (9).”

At Christmas, the perfect Psalm 20 king appeared. He left heaven to enter our day of trouble and fight the battle we could never fight for ourselves. The desire of this king’s heart was not some military conquest, but to purchase the salvation of the sinful people he loved. He did it by completely trusting in God, all the way through the cross, where his final words were a simple prayer of faith. Three days later, God saved the King! He raised Jesus from the dead and exalted his anointed to his right hand. He is now giving the King his heart’s desire, saving people from every nation, tribe, and language, that we might spend eternity sharing in his glory. He has caused us to rise and stand upright! He has filled us with shouts of joy by his victory!

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Article by Eric Smith
Senior Pastor, Sharon Baptist Church