David was said to be a man after God's own heart. His life was pleasing in God's eyes, and God trusted him. We will often find that as we increase in our trust in God, He will place more trust in us. How did David develop this great confidence that God could be counted on to protect and care for him? David had spent many hours alone in the fields with little protection from the dangers that were there. When we begin to read of him, he was a youth who had already been victorious over the lion and the bear. But what about when David first was sent out to keep his father's sheep? Suppose he was sent out at a young age of seven or eight. Most children of that age are capable of greater things than they expect, but are often intimidated by fears. Do you suppose David spent some nights when his heart was beating loudly and he could hardly close his eyes for fear that when he opened them some wild creature would be looking down into his eyes? He was probably given this responsibility before he was fully worthy of it. His father showed his trust in David by sending him out. I believe he was not only trusting in David, but in God's care over his young son. David learned to live up to his father's trust in him. He probably had to spend some weeks in the fields before he could sleep well at night. Not only did his father trust that God would take care of David, but he trusted that David and God together would take care of the flocks.

David often speaks in his Psalms of not fearing, which indicates it was a thing he had had to overcome. "What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee." Psalm 56:3. Later in life, David's enemies were often close behind him with great evil in their hearts. Armies led by King Saul desired to have his life. Yet David's trust in God was so great that when the sleeping King was right before him, he refused to harm or to allow his men to harm him. His trust was in God. He was confident that God could take care of Saul without his interference. It is well that he did, for it kept his conscience clean. David, it seems, valued a clean conscience more than he did his life. His many Psalms prove how much he loved God, how much he trusted in God, and that he wanted to keep all his relationships right in God's eyes so that he could continue to call on Him when he needed help. David trusted God more than he trusted himself.

This deep trust in God, deeper than our trust in our own selves, is rare in today's world. The enemy has nearly wiped it off the face of the earth. The teachings of the day emphasize utilizing all that is within us to meet the challenges of life. It would please God if we would grow more and more trusting in Him, and less dependent on our own intellect and wisdom. God can counsel the honest heart when it gets quiet before Him, and what a blessing it is to have that sweet knowledge of His love for us. David was convinced that God had a plan for his life, and though it must have appeared pretty improbable that he would live to be made king, he still put his trust in God. This great trust was one of the criteria for David being a man after God's own heart.

Go with me, if you will, to the passage in Matthew where the disciples were questioning Jesus about what the kingdom of heaven would be like. Jesus looked about, saw a little child, beckoned him to Himself and set the child in the middle of His disciples. Have you ever observed the trust of little children? They have to be taught to be cautious of strangers who might harm them. No mention is made of that child withdrawing or distrusting Jesus in any way. I can imagine that he may have been a bit dusty and disheveled, as children will so often become, but he apparently came readily and trustingly to the Master. This trust is one of the things that made the child such a clear example of the kingdom of God.

There are other examples of this precious trust in Jesus. Jesus was a trusting Savior. He has a keen ability to look inside people around Him and see beyond the exterior. Surely that was a divine quality, but I believe we can ask Him to give us a portion of His discernment today, if we want to cultivate more trust. Think about some of the ones He trusted. He accepted the gift of that sinner woman who came to anoint and bathe His feet, though His host thought His acceptance of her proved He was not a prophet. I think Jesus knew that woman's history even better than His host did, but He was able to look through the sins and see the goodness inside. He did not accept the gift just because she honored Him, but because He saw a broken and contrite heart bowed in trusting submission before Him.

Let's compare Zaccheus and the rich young ruler. Both had great riches, though we aren't told the significance of their holdings. It was an identifying mark for both. Zaccheus was very desirous to see Jesus, but had no confidence that he was worthy of Jesus' attention. Perhaps he was hoping that Jesus would not notice him, as his sins seemed to be right before his eyes. When Jesus looked up into that tree and bade him come down, Zaccheus made haste and came down. Zaccheus began to confess his sins and promise restitution. He was not in a position that was looked upon with respect among men. But the thing that came before him was not what others would say, nor a comparison of his sins to the others he knew. He trusted that Jesus could do something for him, and he meant business with God. He wasn't trusting in his riches nor his self-righteousness to redeem himself.

By putting the stories from the Gospels together, we get a picture of a rich young ruler who also came running and fell on his knees before Jesus. He came asking what he must do to be saved. When Jesus told him to obey all the commandments, he answered that he had always practiced those things since childhood. However, when Jesus told him to sell all his goods and bestow them on the poor, the young man just couldn't accept it. He felt his goodness should be enough. Had he indeed loved his neighbor as himself if he had great wealth and there were the poor and needy around him? No doubt he had at times come short of the commandments of God, but he was not used to looking at that. He was only accustomed to looking at all the good he had done, and had blinded himself to his presumptuous sins. He was trusting in himself. What a difference in these men. And what a difference in what they got from Jesus. To Zaccheus He said, "This day is salvation come to this house." Even though Jesus looked on the rich young ruler and loved him, he went away without receiving the gift that Jesus could have given him. His trust was in his riches and his own goodness.

It is not always easy to trust our fellow man. There are deep and small hurts that we have experienced, and we are tempted to become suspicious of all people. We aren't able to open our hearts. But there is healing for that pain. With sufficient trust in God, we can know that any pain that we fear can either be defeated by His mighty hand, or be made to count for good to us. Forgiveness that God gives is great and can heal us through and through. Though hurt makes us tend to close up to avoid further pain, He can minister to our pain and wounds so thoroughly that we can give out still more love. If we close ourselves to hurt, we are also closed to joy, peace and goodness that we might receive from others and God. We do not have to suspicion everyone we meet and fear that they are going to harm us. Jesus had been mocked, insulted, beaten, humiliated and was enduring crucifixion, but He was able to forgive those men, for He said they didn't understand what they were doing. He knew they were acting as they did because of the spirits that controlled them, and that it was necessary for Him to go through such pain to bring about victory for us.

How do we look to Christ? Does He see us in our close and casual relationships reacting with suspicion, with an attitude that we must tolerate the blunders of those incompetent folks we live around, with hearts closed so tightly to further hurt that we can't let go of past pain nor receive or give love? Can we look at our children and see that their faults may be influenced by our own tendencies or our insufficient training for them? Can we look at the short comings of our husband or wife, and ask ourselves if we are filling all their needs? Can we look at our fellow workers and think they will do their best to do the job right? When someone hurts us, can we leave room to think they really would like to recall that hasty comment, or that they really had no intent to hurt us? Perhaps your parents weren't perfect and you still cling to injustices you felt in childhood. Did you stop to think that few of us are perfect parents, and that they may have overcome many hurts of their own to be as good of a parent as they were.

Trust in God reaches into all our relationships. The scriptures in James 3:9-10, speaking of the tongue, says, "Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be." We need to look on our fellow travelers as beloved creations of God. He extended trust to us by giving His Son, while we were yet sinners. I feel sure He has forgiven my blunderings far more than seven times seventy. I am praying that He will go on trusting me and letting me try again to help someone. Trust is belief after forgiveness. It is never deserved on our part, as we have never done anything to make God believe in us. He trusts us because of who He is, not because of our worthiness. Another scripture tells us, "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." I John 4:17. We are to be like Him. Though we seem so far below Him that such a comparison should be impossible, yet He is able to heal us, fill us, and guide us until we are in this world "as He is."

Let us pray for a greater measure of Jesus' love, compassion, peace, mercy, trust and discernment. Let us ask Him to remind us where we were or where we could have been if He hadn't stooped to pick us up out of our selfish, willful ways. Let us pray that He will show us if we are trusting in ourselves and not in Him. Surely the world is full of hearts that are broken and torn. Some of these can hardly believe they could be loved by anyone, especially one so holy as Jesus. Let us see the damaged soul inside the sinner and not forget the rescued sinner inside ourselves. Let us thank God daily for His wonderful gift to all. [ The End ]