Joy and Trust

“Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he [is] our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.” (Ps 33:20-21 AV)

Joy and trust go hand in hand.  This may not seem the case.  To trust means one must take risks until the object of that trust is found to be faithful.  Once the object of trust is verified as trustworthy, celebration ensues.  For instance, swimming lessons were stressful for me.  There was the first time I jumped into the shallow end of a pool.  Death loomed!  But my instructor guaranteed that I would not drown.  He was right.  I jumped in, stood on my feet, and I was alright.  A few more times and you couldn’t keep me out of the water.  Then the day came when we graduated to the deep end.  He had taught us well.  We learned to tread water, swim a few strokes, and hold our breath so we would float.  We learned to turn on our backs.  It was time to take the safety net of the pool floor away and learn to trust our instructor once again.  With a reach pole in hand, he told us to get in.  We let go of the side of the pool and floated on our backs.  Once we got the hang of it, we were told to jump in.  After a while, you couldn’t keep us out of the deep end.

The thing with joy is that in order for it to grow, risk must come.  Risk must increase.  Where trust and faith are concerned, there must always be a greater step.  You are born.  The greatest risk you take is to stand on two feet for the first time.  Then there is the first day of school.  The first major exam.  The first driver’s test (hopefully the last)!  There is the day you were engaged, got married, and had children.  There were times your children were sick or injured.  Now, as you approach the twilight years, there is illness, financial insecurity, and loneliness.  As each step of faith increases, those in the past don’t seem nearly as big as they did when you went through them.  With each step of faith, God becomes more real.  The joy may not be exuberance.  It changes.  The joy that comes from trusting the LORD becomes humbling and awe-inspiring.  One experiences the hand of God in ways that would seem impossible.  Joy comes because God is faithful.

At times, faith may be stressful.  Trusting is difficult.  It requires that we yield to One greater than ourselves.  We trust Self.  Trusting someone else does not come naturally.  The feeling of vulnerability is uneasy.  But it is like getting married.  When you profess those vows, you are putting all your trust in the hands of another.  It is her hands in which you are placing your heart.  It is in his hands that you yield.  Yet when those vows are exchanged and you know your trust was not placed in vain, then there is no greater joy.  Outside of salvation itself, knowing someone will love you and commit to you no matter what is the beginning of a life of joy that defies human understanding.  God is far more faithful than a spouse.  He is there when no one else can be.  He loves us with an everlasting love.  He is our Father who will always provide, protect, and guide.  He is there.  He will never leave.  All He asks is that you trust in Him so that your joy might be full.