Trust is a powerful factor in relationships. Trust engenders honor. Trust ascribes value. Trust says you are important. Trust says I’ve checked you out and you have character and integrity. Psalm 118:8 (AMPC) says: “It is better to trust and take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” This is not saying that we cannot trust people. There are trustworthy people around us. It is saying that we need to primarily trust God and His word. He has to be first. If we trust what people say over what God says, it will lead us astray. When God is the bedrock of our lives, nothing people say or do will lead us astray. Jeremiah 17:5 (AMP) says: “Thus says the Lord, “Cursed is the man who trusts in and relies on mankind, making [weak, faulty human] flesh his strength, and whose mind and heart turn away from the Lord”. Note how the prophet emphasizes that we must stay away from trusting in weak, faulty flesh. We are not to allow “flesh” to turn our hearts away from the Lord. So today, we need to make a personal assessment and see where our trust is. If it is in the wrong place, today is the perfect day to make the needed adjustment. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths”. Proverbs 3:5,6.
We all have burdens that we carry. Some burdens are so heavy that they tend to overwhelm and weaken whoever is carrying them. Our Lord Jesus understands that, so in Matthew 11: 28-30, He said this: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” He instructs us to take His yoke upon us instead of whatever we are currently carrying. His yoke is saving, healing and restoring mankind to fellowship with the Father. In other words, when we put aside our issues and instead help others get connected with God, that is where we begin to experience rest for our souls. Something happens when we become selfless like Jesus. Most people are selfish and are only interested in what they could get from others. However, when we take on Jesus’ yoke, and begin to minister to others, even when we are experiencing issues of our own, we will see how God will set others free through our sacrifice of service, and in the process, God will give us the peace that passes understanding. We will begin to experience rest from our issues and challenges. The joy of the Lord will well up within us as we see others helped and delivered through our actions and prayers. Take His yoke upon you. Learn from Him, and watch how divine rest, peace and joy will fill your soul.
