Trust in the Lord

We have lots of choices in this life, and one of the biggest is where to put our trust.  There are voices beckoning to us from every source with all sorts of ideas and opinions.  What do we believe?  Who do we trust?

Helaman was leading the young Ammonites in battling against the Lamanites, and although they had been blessed and preserved in miraculous ways, things weren't going well at the moment.  Food was scarce, their armies were small in comparison to the hordes of Lamanites, and they didn't seem to be getting any support from the leaders of the Nephite nation.  But Helaman says in Alma 58:37 But, behold, it mattereth not—we trust God will ^adeliver us, notwithstanding the weakness of our armies, yea, and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies.

This army might have put their trust in the arm of flesh -- their own strength, their weapons, their strategies.  But when food ran out and their forces were severely outnumbered, they needed help that could only come from the Lord. 

There are some beautiful scriptures concerning trusting in the Lord.  One of my favorites is Proverbs 3:5-6

  ^aTrust in the Lord with all thine ^bheart; and lean not unto thine ^cown ^dunderstanding.

  6 In all thy ways ^aacknowledge him, and he shall ^bdirect thy ^cpaths. 

 

Some other scriptures show that trusting in the Lord will help us be happy, made safe, be lifted and supported and not be confounded and bring about our salvation and the arm of mercy,  Trusting in the Lord can be difficult when things look dark, but can give us much-needed comfort and hope.  We know that the Lord loves us and that everything He does is for our good.  

 

Some people assume that God just wants us to be happy and successful all the time.  They rail at Him when bad things happen and assume that if there is pain or war or they don't get everything they want, there must not be a God.  They're more like 2-year olds who think they all the toys belong to them.  But God is an all-wise parent who knows that giving kids everything they want will only spoil them.  He knows that we need some trials and disappointments and learning experiences and discipline for us to grow to our full potential.  He wants for us not just temporary pleasure and happiness, but eventual and full joy and fulfillment.  

So, yes, we can trust in Him to give us not what we want, but what we need.  And even when times are rough, He is there to give us support and love and succor.