A three-year-old boy stands hesitantly on the edge of the pool. His father, waist deep in the water, stretches out his hands saying, “Jump! I’ll catch you!” Trust is a critical element of faith. The child might believe his father can catch him, but without trust he will never jump. The Bible teaches that we trust YAHVEH by believing His Word is true, by obeying His will and by depending on HaMashiach alone for salvation. We can trust YAHVEH completely because He is completely trustworthy.

WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF TRUST?

TRUST ALMOST ALWAYS INVOLVES PATIENCE.
“Then God remembered Rachel’s plight and answered her prayers by giving her a child. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. ‘God has removed my shame,’ she said.” (Genesis 30:22-23) Eventually YAHVEH answered Rachel’s prayers and gave her a child of her own. In the meantime however, she had given her maidservant to Jacob. Trusting YAHVEH is difficult when nothing seems to happen. But it is harder still to live with the consequences of taking matters into our own hands. Resist the temptation to think YAHVEH has forgotten you. Have patience and courage to wait for YAHVEH to act.

TRUST OFTEN REQUIRES COURAGE.
“As Pharaoh and his army approached, the people of Israel could see them in the distance, marching toward them. The people began to panic and they cried out to the LORD for help. Then they turned against Moses and complained, ‘Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? Why did you make us leave?’” (Exodus 14:10-11) Trapped against the sea, the Israelites faced the Egyptian army sweeping in for the kill. The Israelites thought they were doomed. After watching YAHVEH’s powerful hand delivered them from Egypt, their only response was fear, whining and despair. Where was their trust in YAHVEH? Israel had to learn from repeated experience that YAHVEH was able to provide for them. YAHVEH has preserved these examples in the Bible so that we can learn to trust Him the first time. By focusing on YAHVEH’s faithfulness in the past, we can face crises with confidence rather than with fear and complaining.

TRUST INVOLVES HEARTFELT CONFIDENCE IN YAHVEH.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do and he will direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) Leaning has the sense of putting your whole weight on something, resting on and trusting in that person or thing. When we have an important decision to make, we sometimes feel that we can’t trust anyone; not even YAHVEH. But YAHVEH knows what is best for us. And He knows even better than we do what we really want. We must trust Him completely in every choice we make. We should not omit careful thinking or belittle our YAHVEH-given ability to reason; but we should not trust our own ideas to the exclusion of all others. We must not be wise in our own eyes. We should always be willing to listen to and be corrected by YAHVEH’s Word and wise counsellors. Bring your decisions to YAHVEH in prayer, use the Bible as your guide and follow YAHVEH’s leading. He will make your paths straight by both guiding and protecting you.

TRUST INCLUDES GIVING YAHVEH OUR FUTURE PLANS.
To receive YAHVEH’s guidance said Solomon, we must acknowledge YAHVEH in all our ways. This means turning every area of life over to Him. About a thousand years later, Yeshua emphasized this same truth (Matthew 6:33). Look at your values and priorities. What is important to you? In what areas have you not acknowledged Him? What is His advice? In many areas of your life you may already acknowledge YAHVEH, but it is the areas where you attempt to restrict or ignore His influence that will cause you grief. Make Him a vital part of everything you do; then He will guide you because you will be working to accomplish His purposes.

TRUST IS WHOLEHEARTEDLY BELIEVING IN YAHVEH’S PROMISES.
“Now God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight; not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the Scriptures long ago. We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done.” (Romans 3:21-22) After all this bad news about our sinfulness and YAHVEH’s condemnation, Paul gives the wonderful news. There is a way to be declared not guilty; by trusting Yeshua HaMashiach to take away our sins. Trusting means putting our confidence in HaMashiach to forgive our sins, to make us right with YAHVEH and to empower us to live the way He taught us. YAHVEH’s solution is available to all of us regardless of our background or past behaviour.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO TRUST YAHVEH?
Psalm 33:21: “In Him our hearts rejoice, for we are trusting in His Holy Name.” Trusting YAHVEH means recognizing that YAHVEH is trustworthy and then trusting Him above all else. Genesis 6:5-22: “Make a boat . . . I am about to cover the earth with a flood . . . Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.” Trusting YAHVEH means obeying His Commands even when we don’t fully understand. Psalm 112:1: “Happy are those who delight in doing what He commands.” We can trust YAHVEH enough to obey because His Word is true and will bring happiness. John 3:36: “All who believe in God’s Son have eternal life.” Trusting YAHVEH means depending on HaMashiach alone for salvation. Galatians 2:16: “No one will ever be saved by obeying the Law.” Trusting HaMashiach for salvation means ceasing to trust in our own efforts to be righteous. 1 Peter 1:8: “Though you do not see Him, you trust Him; and even now you are happy.” Trusting YAHVEH produces joy.

PROMISES FROM YAHVEH:
Isaiah 26:3: “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you!” Trusting in YAHVEH brings peace. Matthew 25:29: “To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given.” Those who can be trusted will be given more. 1 Corinthians 1:9: “God will surely do this for you, for He always does just what He says.” Hebrews 10:23: “God can be trusted to keep His promises.” YAHVEH always keeps His promises.