Trust
by Jilly Lyon-Taylor
On a holiday in the Swiss Alps, my husband and I took a cable car up to the top of a high mountain. The cable car was suspended on what looked like a relatively thin wire as it made its ascent to 3,800m, but as we boarded it we had to trust that the engineers had made their calculations accurately and that the cable would be the correct thickness and strength to hold the weight. We were putting our trust in the good name and reputation of Swiss engineering!
Trust is something that each of us exercises many times a day in our everyday lives. As we sit on a chair, we trust that it will support our weight; when we board a bus or train, we trust that it will take us where we are expecting to go. We turn on lights and electrical appliances, trusting that the power supply will be working; and we turn taps expecting water to flow from them.
We can easily trust in that way, but how easy do we find it to trust God? It seems to me that the key to trusting God is knowing Him; His character, His nature and His faithfulness. It’s difficult to trust anyone we don’t know. Today’s verse tells us that if we know His name we’ll be able to put our trust in Him.
Names in the Bible are important, as they convey the essence of a person, and so it is with God’s names. I once began to list names of God as I came across them in Scripture and I found there were many! He is 'King of kings and Lord of lords' (1 Timothy 6:15); 'Immanuel – God with us' (Matthew 1:23); 'Saviour' (Psalm 89:26); 'Wonderful Counsellor, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace' (Isaiah 9:6); 'the LORD who provides' (Genesis 22:14); 'Shepherd' (Psalm 23 & John 10:14); 'Bread of Life' (John 6:35); 'the LORD who heals' (Exodus 15:26) – and I could go on and on!
Do you know the Lord in each of these aspects of who He is? If you know Him as Father, you’ll be able to trust Him like a little child; if you know Him as Healer, you’ll be able to trust Him with all your needs for healing. Whatever your need today, if you look to God, you’ll find an aspect of who He is encapsulated in one of His many names, and you’ll be able to trust Him with all that concerns you. The more you know Him in that aspect, the more you will be able to trust Him.
Prayer: Lord, please give me Your Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that I may know You better. I want to know You in all aspects of Your name, so that I can trust You more. Amen.
Jilly Lyon-Taylor is part of the Leadership Team at Ellel Pierrepont. She worked in publishing and then with children in Hong Kong before concentrating on being a full-time mother and serving in the local church. Her desire to see people healed led her to the Luke Nine Eleven Training Scheme(NETS) at Pierrepont, and now she teaches and ministers there.
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