O LORD of Heaven’s Armies, what joy for those who trust in you. PSALM 84:12 (NLT)

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When I hear a politician say, “Trust me,” I most often think I better start running the other direction. I am pretty sure I am not the only one who feels this way.

• Can you name six people you would go to for advice on the most meaningful decisions of your life?
• Can you name five people you want to make the decision regarding when to pull the plug?
• Can you name four people you would trust to manage all of your savings and investments?
• Can you name three people you would want to share your home for six months of quarantine?
• Can you name two people you could tell a secret and know it would never leak?
• Can you name one dog who would guard your sandwich when you left the room without eating it if it was within their reach?

Some people have a hard time trusting anyone and therefore answer all of these questions with a firm NO.

Some people believe the best in everyone all the time and do not mind bad advice, dying too soon, losing all their money, being locked up with people who drive you crazy, telling secrets to the whole wide world, and overindulging their pets.

We tend to like the more trusting souls better, but we also prefer they not take up space in our Concentric Circles of Ultimate Trust. We also do not want them to house sit with our dogs.

Trust develops over time. It grows through positive outcomes of shared experiences. Those who pass all the tests of trust are few in number. Alas, even the most trustworthy of friends and relatives can and do fail from time to time.

Our Father in heaven never fails. He can do anything but fail. He is completely trustworthy at all times with all things. He always knows best. He always does what is best.

Some people disagree with these statements. Those who do lean toward living self-centered lives. They will trust God as long as he does everything their way. As long as he makes them look good and gives them all they want, they trust him. If he ever falls short in any way, there ends the trust.

There are those who want God to align himself with their political ideals. There are those who want God to come around to their way of thinking regarding (Insert your favorite sin here).

The chief end of humanity is not to bend God to our will and ways. God will not be manipulated.

Those who learn to see themselves and the world from God’s perspective, from a God-centered life, are more concerned with aligning themselves with him than the other way around. They have learned the joy of trusting him with all things at all times. It’s not long before they learn to sing with the psalmist, “O LORD of Heaven’s Armies, what joy for those who trust in you.”

Our Concentric Circles of Ultimate Trust should be filled with others who live from a God-centered perspective. This leads to much more peace and stability. Does this protect us from all problems at all times? No. It does solve most problems before they ever begin, however.

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I will fill my Concentric Circles of Ultimate Trust with God-centered people.

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Our Father, I trust you. Please fill my life with people who know and experience you. Surround me with people who trust you for all things. Make me the kind of person others would want in their Concentric Circles of Ultimate Trust. Make me trustworthy. Amen.