"Trust
in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to
him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your
own eyes; fear the Lord and shun
evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones." Proverbs 3:5-8
The great Mark Twain once said, “If
a cat sets on a hot stove he will never set on a hot stove again. Of course,
he’ll never set on a cold one either.”
That profoundly simple observation
illustrates how difficult it is to trust again once you have been burned. And
who among us has not been burned?
So trusting again is much harder
than trusting initially. We have to make sure the next person we trust is
trustworthy, like this kid in this story:
A young
lady was sunbathing on the beach when a little boy in his swimming trunks,
carrying a towel, came up to her and asked her, "Do you believe in
God?"
She was surprised by the question but she replied, "Why, yes, I do."
Then he asked her: "Do you go to church every Sunday?" Again, her answer was "Yes!"
He then
asked: "Do you read your Bible and pray every day?"
Again
she said, "Yes!" By now her curiosity was very much aroused.
The
little lad sighed with relief and said, "Will you hold my money while I go
swimming?"
What a relief to find someone who is
worthy of our trust!
Someone as trustworthy Isaiah vouches for God:
“You
who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your
voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say
to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!”10 See,
the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a
mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. 11 He
tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs
in his arms and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young. 12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the
mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?
13 Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord, or instruct the Lord as his counselor? 14 Whom did the Lord consult to
enlighten him, and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge, or
showed him the path of understanding? 15 Surely
the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are
regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands
as though they were fine dust.16 Lebanon is not sufficient for altar
fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.17
Before him all the nations are as nothing; they
are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing.18
With whom, then, will you compare God? To what
image will you liken him? 19 As for an idol,
a metalworker casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it
with gold and fashions silver chains for it. 20 A person too poor to present such an offering selects wood that will not rot; they look
for a skilled worker to set up an idol that will not
topple.21 Do you not know? Have you not
heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood since the earth was founded? 22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the
heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent
to live in.23 He brings princes to naught and
reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. 24 No
sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown,
no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. 25 “To whom will you created all these? He
who brings out the starry host one by one and calls
forth each of them by name. Because of his great power
and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
27 Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is
hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”?
28 Do you not know? Have
you not heard? The Lord is the
everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and
his understanding no one can fathom. 29 He
gives strength to the weary and increases the power of
the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and
weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on
wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah
40:9-31
He sounds like Some One I could trust and “lean into” with all my heart.
He sounds like Some One I could trust and “lean into” with all my heart even if I
have been burned before.
He sounds like Some One I could trust and “lean into” with all my heart ESPECIALLY
if I been burned before.
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