** O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. ** Psalm 34:8 (84:12)
We have been talking about the Trust Fund waiting for us in eternity and also how our marriage relationship will reflect how well we are doing in the trust department in our last couple of posts.
Today, we are going to talk a little about another benefit of our Trust Fund.
We know that most of our reward from the Lord’s Trust Fund will not be seen until eternity. But today we do receive a few down payments that keep us encouraged to stay on task and wait for our full reward.
The Psalms and Proverbs tell us that we are blessed when we trust in the Lord. It makes us happy. It fills our heart with joy. Trusting in the Lord should put a smile on our face and a spring in our step. If we are feeling discouraged or heavy-hearted, perhaps we are lacking in a bit of trust for our current situation. Maybe we are trying to figure out our problem ourselves. Maybe we are trying to take the reins of our life out of the Lord’s Hands.
We have all come to trust in the Lord and His Name in different ways and in different seasons of our lives. When I finally understood my need to be saved, I was in a discouraging season. I had lost hope of being happy. But the moment I understood what I needed to do for salvation and was able to tell others about it, my heart filled with more joy than it could contain. The Bible promises us that joy in Psalm 33 …** For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. ** Psalm 33:21
The thing is that my joy didn’t last very long. I loved going to church and learning more about the Lord after I got saved. And I loved all the new discoveries in truth that I learned when reading the Bible. I loved belonging to a community of like-minded people. But with time the joy disappeared and life was heavy again. I had not yet learned how to trust the Lord with all of my problems. I didn’t realize it was my responsibility to put each of my problems before Him and trust Him to work it out. I didn’t even know I could talk to Him about them!
Over time, I did learn. And I am still learning how to leave each of my troubles in His Hands. Trust is a lifelong process that takes us to deeper and deeper levels, and it challenges our faith and helps us to yield to the Lord’s guidance in every area.
For me, the happiness and joy have returned with time. I am not exuberant and over the top giggly, but I have a peace and contentment that was missing in my younger years. I have seen the Lord’s faithfulness and I have learned that I can trust Him, especially in the things I do not understand or have no control over.
The Lord’s promises help us to keep learning how to trust Him in our day-to-day lives. He never deceives us, so we can trust what He says even if today we cannot see the why’s or the how’s of the solutions. Proverbs 16:20 tells us ** He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he. ** Handling a matter wisely in part means to go to the Lord first with each of our daily tasks and problems and the happiness comes from trusting Him to answer our needs the best way that He knows to do.
So, if our heart is feeling empty of happiness, maybe we are taking on too much and not giving away as much as we can to the Lord. Maybe we are carrying burdens that are not ours to carry. Let’s all take a moment and put today’s agenda and needs in His Hands and allow Him to bless us and fill our hearts with joy and happiness as we trust Him to make all things good in His time.