Passage for reading: Psalm 71:1-24
“You are my hope, O Lord God;
You are my trust from my youth” (Psalm 71:5).
The Bible has listed whom we can trust, and those we cannot—
We should not put our trust in chariots and horses. “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7). “A horse is a vain hope for safety, neither shall it deliver any by its great strength” (Psalm 33:17).
We should not put our trust in the bow and the sword. “I will not trust in my bow, nor shall my sword save me. But You have saved us from our enemies and have put to shame those who hated us” (Psalm 44:6,7).
We should not rely on man or people of influence. When we fare well they will be good to us. But when trouble strikes us they will forsake us. This is why David said, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes” (Psalm 118:8,9).
We should not trust our kith and kin—not that they will turn to be insincere, but they have their own limitations. Though a husband and wife love each other intensely there are times when they have to face difficulties all by themselves, because of the inability of the spouse to lend a helping hand. They should not forget that even in their marital relationship God has to be given the first place. “Do not trust in a friend, do not put your confidence in a companion. Guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your bosom… I will look to the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation” (Micah 7:5,7).
We must not trust even ourselves. Chariots, horses, bows and arrows could not save us; friends could not help us; kith and kin forsook us; even the spouses failed to understand each other. Under such circumstances, in frustration, we say, “I have to now stand on my own feet.” God will not approve of it also. He will uproot everything in which we have placed our confidence, and eventually God will bring us to the point where we cannot have confidence in our own selves. The Apostle Paul had to face a similar situation of which he testified, “Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead” (2 Cor 1:9).
Trust in the Lord and don’t despair; He is a friend so true:
No matter what your troubles are, Jesus will see you through!
