INTRODUCTION. Trust is an issue that we all deal with because our interactions with one another will determine just how much we will rely and depend on each other.  By definition, the word trust means “Firm reliance on the integrity or ability of a person or a thing”[1]  Some people have an easy time trusting people, while others, because of the hand that life has dealt them, have difficulty trusting people.  For example, in some cases, a young child will not have a problem going to an adult or another person because they don’t see that person as a threat, or someone that will harm them.  On the other hand, as that child gets older and experiences life, it tends to find out that not everyone is to be trusted, and will act accordingly.

Sometimes we have problems trusting people because we don’t know exactly what they’re up to, or the fact that we’ve been hurt in the past.  Some people have ulterior motives and personal agendas and will use you or anyone else to get what they want.  We’ve trusted them, gave them our all, only to be hurt, feel busted and disgusted, all because we gave them our trust. 

The Bible tells us in Psalm 118:8-9, “8 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.  9 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.”  Check this out…People will let you down; people will turn their backs on you; people will use you and abuse you; but the Lord will bless you like nobody else can!

Knowing that man has limitations and that God is all powerful, I would recommend to you today that you “Lean and Depend on the Lord!”

Let’s see what the Bible teaches us…

1. Know Who To Lean On. Let us understand that putting our complete trust in people opens us up for the opportunity to be hurt and disappointed.  A person can only do so much, but the Lord can do everything.  I’m not saying that we shouldn’t have a measure of trust in the people we love and associate with, but what I am saying is that our complete trust should be in the Lord.  We trust in the Lord because:

• He’s the One who we can truly rely on;
• He’s the One who can do what nobody else can do;
• He’s the One who can come through for you when everyone else has let you down;
• He’s the One who can keep you when all others have let you go;
• He’s the One who can bring you through whatever it is you’re going through;
• He’s the One who can hook you up when everyone else has their hooks in you;
• He’s the One who can do what nobody else can do for you!!

2. Know How To Lean On The Lord. Our selected text tells us that the way we trust the Lord is through our hearts.  One reason for this is because our hearts are tied to the issues of life.  Proverbs 4:23, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”  God is not overly concerned about what you know, but He’s really concerned about what’s going on in your heart.  Your head can fool you, your mind can misguide you, but your heart is where God is looking.  For us to trust the Lord, we’ve got to love the Lord.  When the Lord was asked in Matthew 22 which was the greatest of the commandments, Jesus told them in Matthew 22:37, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”   When you love the Lord, you can trust that the Lord will be there for you. 

• God said He would never leave us, nor forsake us;
• God said He would be our refuge and fortress;
• God said He would be our shield and our buckler;
• God said we would find Him if we would seek Him with our whole heart.

3. Know What To Expect From The Lord (verse 6). Notice what the Lord tells us in verse 6, “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct thy paths.”  When you truly lean on the Lord, what you are really saying is that you are putting your life in God’s hands and allowing Him to take you where He wants you to be.  The Psalmist said in Psalm 37:23, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighted in his way.” When we let God do the driving, we can then enjoy the journey!!!

What can you expect from the Lord when you lean and depend in Him? This requires us to completely trust in the Lord and when you put your trust in the Lord:

• You can receive your Blessing. Psalm 2:12b says, “Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.”
• You can get your Deliverance. Psalm 7:1 says, “O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me.”

You can know Him as your Rock.  Psalm 18:2 says, “The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.”

_{[1] American Heritage Dictionary, Third Edition}