Psalm 115: What does it mean to trust in God?

By Priscilla
Psalm 115 (NIV) 

O house of Israel, trust in the Lord—
he is their help and shield.
O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord—
he is their help and shield.
You who fear him, trust in the Lord—
he is their help and shield. (vs 9-11)

‘In God alone we trust’ is a big declaration of faith. And this last weekend, never have I been tested in this. On Friday one of my closest friends suddenly fell very, very ill. As we kept getting reports on what the doctors were saying, it was so easy to Google the medical terms and terrify ourselves silly with what we had just read. It was shockingly easy for fear to replace trust. Fear is the opposite of trust. And I had to remind myself, like the Israelites in this Psalm – that I worship a God with a proven track record of pure, unadulterated faithfulness.

That:
No weapon forged against you (my friend) will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me," declares the LORD. (Isa 54:17)

I’ve had a lot of learning to do this weekend. I’ve learnt that to trust in God, does not mean giving up and hoping for the best outcome. Trusting in God is a big verb – a big action verb that has involved praying incessantly, speaking in tongues, reading and re-reading scriptures that bring hope and life. I will admit, it has been easier to get sucked into that whirlpool of worry but by choosing to fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith I find myself suddenly standing on terra firma.

Trusting in God does not mean being frightened of the big, scary medicalness but facing it, not just looking at it in the eye but looking beyond to the one who is far, far greater than we can ever imagine.

A battle is continuing to be waged for my friend’s life – but I stand on the assurance that God is fully in control.