Trusting the Lord and Doing Good in a World of Deception

“Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither. Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you” (Psalm 37:1-5 NLT). 

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I’ve been writing about trust recently and why it is increasingly difficult to find credibility.

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Broken promises make trust challenging. It’s easier to trust when our checkbooks are fat. But when our economy spirals out of control, we question those continually telling us how great things are. When things are out of our influence we ask, “Whom can we trust?” Those who steal from us erode trust. When we are lied to we find it difficult to have faith in liars. People who “talk the talk but fail to walk the walk” are untrustworthy. Deception undermines trust.

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There are many reasons why it’s difficult to trust.

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However, the underlying commonality is worry. “I’ve heard her promise she will never do ‘that’ again. But I’m afraid she will break her word again. I’ve seen it too many times.”

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“Worry” is to give way to anxiety or unease; to allow one’s mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles.” In the Hebrew, the word חָרָה implies a stronger emphasis than being merely anxious. It stresses fretting, stewing, or being incensed, angry, hot, or burning.

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The words of the Psalmist David are timely for those who struggle to trust. He’s familiar with betrayal and things beyond his control. His enemies appear to have a master’s degree in deception, lying, and stealing. And what’s bewildering is it seems that they prosper while those who do their best to live righteously suffer.

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It’s hard to understand how good things can fall to those whose characters are so flawed while those who seek to do good struggle. How can David command us: “Don’t worry when the wicked prosper”?

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He reminds us that “…like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither.” David’s analogy, comparing the wicked with grass and flowers, reminds us that although justice may seem slow, it will ultimately prevail. And justice is not for us to employ.

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Justice belongs to God. Recognizing this reality allows us to transition our eyes from those who betray us to see the One who is trustworthy. “Trust in the Lord and do good.”

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Our betrayal does not release us from our responsibility to do good. If we look at the inappropriate actions of others, we are continually distracted from seeing that the Lord allows us to live safely in the land and prosper.

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If we “burn with anger” toward those who have proven themselves unreliable, we will miss seeing the goodness of the Lord. 

• Is it time to redirect our focus? 
• Are we ready to commit all that troubles us to the Lord and discover He alone is trustworthy? 
• Will we trust the Lord and discover how He helps us when we need it most?

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