Whom do you trust?

Whom do you trust?

My eyes are always on the LORD, for he rescues me . . .. Psalm 25:15

Psalm 25:1-14

 1 O LORD, I give my life to you.

 2 I trust in you, my God! Do not let me be disgraced, or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat.

 3 No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced, but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.

 4 Show me the right path, O LORD; point out the road for me to follow.

 5 Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.

 7 Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth. Remember me in the light of your unfailing love, for you are merciful, O LORD.

 8 The LORD is good and does what is right; he shows the proper path to those who go astray.

 9 He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them his way.

 10 The LORD leads with unfailing love and faithfulness all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.

 11 For the honor of your name, O LORD, forgive my many, many sins.

 14 The LORD is a friend to those who fear him. He teaches them his covenant.

Who Do You Trust? was an American television game show. The show aired from September 30, 1957, to December 27, 1963, at 3:30 pm Eastern. This schedule helped garner a significant number of young viewers coming home from school [I was one of them]. The title outraged English teachers, being incorrect grammar. The name should have been, “Whom Do You Trust?”

The original emcee Edgar Bergen was later replaced by Johnny Carson. Johnny was soon joined by Ed McMahon as the show’s announcer. From that point on until 1992 Carson and McMahon would spend the majority of their careers together.

Three couples competed on each show, most often a man and a woman chosen for their unique backgrounds. In the quiz portion, Carson would tell the male contestant the category of the upcoming question; the man would then have to decide whether to answer the question himself or “trust” the woman to do so. Hence the name of the show. Each night there would be a winner. Couples could return to the show until defeated; one couple amassed $120,800 in winnings.

The series immediately launched Johnny Carson into the public consciousness. In March 1962, Carson was asked to take over The Tonight Show from Jack Paar, and the rest is history.

Our fallen world is filled with self-centeredness, self-indulgence, lack of trust, cruelty, and betrayal. Consequently, people strongly desire to have others in their life that they can trust. Sadly, such folks are few and far between. Who can we trust?  Psalm 25 flows from the spring of trust. Trust it’s raison d’être. It is a “calmly confident prayer for help” (Delitzsch).

Psalm 25 represents a short interlude during the life of David. David lays out a host of concerns, none of which are urgent or life-threatening. They do not require immediate intervention or protection. Therefore, David currently turns both his concerns and observations into a prayer intended for the Father alone. Of course, through the intelligent design of the Father, David’s prayer was written down for all to see.

The Father is perceived as distant while enemies are near and menacing. David remembers the foolishness of his rebellion and sin as a child. He seeks forgiveness. But more importantly, he seeks a new connection with the Father. He requests that the Father actively intervene and instruct him in the right way to live. Any child of the King can rethink their past and choose to follow in David’s footsteps.

Psalm 25 is reflective of “the pressure of enemies, the need of guidance and the burden of guilt take turns to be the dominant concern. The tone is subdued, and the singer’s trust is shown in patient waiting . . .” (Kidner). The focus is inward revealing a slight hint of sadness and loneliness.

Picture in your mind David the boy shepherd unaccompanied in the fields with only sheep and intermittent predators. Humanly speaking he was all alone. But rather than allowing his loneliness to rob him of joy, he drew ever closer to the Father.

Psalms 25:21 May integrity and honesty protect me, for I put my hope in you.

REFLECT & PRAY

“God saves us, not because He thinks we’re smart or worthy of His Son’s work on our behalf, but because of His own nature and goodness. He saves us for His name’s sake and for His glory” (Stanley).

Father thank You that I can have a confident, calm assurance and trust in You alone.

INSIGHT

When children of the King trust in the Father, He leads them in unfailing love and faithfulness. He forgives their many sins and refuses to remember the rebellious acts.  He chooses to deal with them according to His unfailing love and mercy, rather than that according to their sinful and unrighteous behavior.

Psalms 25:14 The LORD is a friend to those who fear him.

But there’s more. When we choose to trust Him and honor Him, the Father chooses to become our friend. How great is that! David has great confidence in the Father’s friendship. He is certain and confident that the Father does indeed has his back.

The Hebrew word translated friend, secret, guidance, plan, or counsel is sod. Sod emphasizes the intimate relationship the Father has with children of the King who respect Him and draw close to Him. The same word is used in the Book of Amos regarding the close relationship with the Father maintained with His servants the prophets. He reveals His secret [sod] plans to them. People tell their secrets to their closest friends

Amos 3:7 Indeed, the Sovereign LORD never does anything until he reveals his secret plans to his servants the prophets.

Once again visualize David the boy shepherd seemingly alone in the fields. But he is not alone. If you look closely you can see the Father leaning over and whispering in his ear, “It’s okay my son, you’re not alone, I am here and I’ve got this.”

Indeed, David had heard the Father’s voice and experienced His comfort. Therefore, David has learned to trust the Father in all of life’s circumstances. Psalm 25 has been dubbed, “The Prayer of a Trusting Soul” (Tesh and Zorn). David is neither frantic nor anxious. He calmly proclaims his confidence. He states in all circumstances, “Father, I trust in you.” What a magnificent perspective to have on life! Every child of the King can have the same outlook. What a privilege!

Psalm 25 is a prayer of confidence recalling the Father’s great acts in the lives of children of the King. This is no fox hole prayer for help. It does not have the urgency of such. It is a prayer of assurance covering a host of topics. It includes the Father’s absence, the threat of enemies, personal failure and repentance, instruction and teaching, and the desire for the Father’s intervention. It reflects the events which characterized David’s life.

Psalm 25:1 O LORD, I give my life to you.

This Psalm grew out of meditation on the word of God and David’s lifelong learning. The Father had equipped David for this time in his life. David had the correct answer to the question, “Who do you trust?” David put his trust in the Father alone.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯.