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“He who dwells in the help of the Most High shall dwell in the secret place of the God of heaven.”

In the Great Compline Prayer, we read six psalms before chanting “God is with us.” The last three of them are selected from the psalms of trust in God. Psalm (24) begins with “O Lord, to you I lift up my soul; my God, in you I trust; I shall never be put to shame.” Psalm (30) opens with the verse “In you, O Lord, I trust; I shall never be put to shame; in your righteousness save me and deliver me.” Finally, Psalm (90) begins with “He who dwells in the help of the Most High shall dwell in the secret place of the God of heaven.” In these psalms resound the most beautiful cries of trust in God and confidence in Him.

Perhaps the most important attribute of God, in the conscience of man in general, is His sovereignty. That is, He is in the position of the master on whom we, the slaves, can rely. “To trust in man is vain,” says the Psalms. Man needs man and depends on him. But the true reliance, the safe and most powerful refuge, is God! Man struggles for his existence and improvement with the dangers, circumstances and responsibilities of life, and he often feels that he is unable to achieve his dreams, and perhaps even his most important needs! Therefore, he needs someone to rely on in his distress and helplessness, he needs someone he trusts and who is able to compensate him for his human helplessness.

Our prayers, and the Psalms in particular, are filled with verses of trust in God. God is the refuge, the rock, the salvation, and the covering, and whoever trusts in Him will never be put to shame. “In the Lord I trust; how can you say to my soul, ‘Flee to the mountains’?” But there are two basic conditions for trusting in God. There is a false trust in God. Satan used one of the verses of this Psalm (90:11) to tempt Christ and make Him fall into a false trust, when he asked Him to throw Himself from the wall of the temple and trust in God, who says in the Psalms: “For He will give His angels charge over you, to guard you in all your ways; in their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone”! But Jesus rejected such trust in God, and considered it, on the contrary, a temptation of God and not trust in Him.

Jesus relies on God, and prays that fervent prayer on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” which we often misunderstand, thinking that Jesus is “rebuking the Father” for abandoning the Son at such a moment when he should have been closer! The truth is that this Messianic psalm is one of the most beautiful psalms of reliance on God! As it emphasizes, as a continuation of the previous verse, “Our fathers trusted in you, and you delivered them; they cried to you and were delivered; they trusted in you and were not ashamed… In you I was cast from the womb, from my mother’s belly, you are my God.”(36).

Not every reliance on God is correct! The proof of this is the two previous contradictory examples between Jesus and Satan.

The first condition for trusting in God is to believe in God’s mercy and power. Most Christians and people in general do not doubt God’s power, because God’s most important attribute is “power.” But not everyone has a firm sense of God’s mercy and care. No one doubts that God is the Creator. But not everyone truly feels God’s care in the world. Therefore, in times of distress, we see them tend to rely on themselves, their possessions, or people… At such moments, God is never a solution. Who among us believes that when faced with something that is impossible for them, God can truly help? If we rely on God with what we can, this is not true trust in God. True trust is fully demonstrated when we ask God for what is impossible for us. God’s work begins when our abilities end. This is where trust in God tests our true faith in Him.

But in order to put our trust in God, when we are unable to do something, we must be certain that our request is in accordance with His will. This is what Jesus accomplished when he asked the Father, “If it is possible, remove this cup from me,” and then added, “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.” Trusting in God means that when we are unable to do something, we ask God, but in faith, knowing that if it is for our good and according to His will, He is able to fulfill it for us, and if it is not for our good, it is better that He does not fulfill it for us. Our faith is that God is able to fulfill anything, but at the same time He is merciful, He only fulfills for us what is for our good—according to His will. Because His love can only be care, and true care.

The second condition for trusting in God is that we work now and He will achieve tomorrow. We often trust in God in the wrong way. For example, when we are unable to face a difficulty in life, we “leave it to God,” that is, “throw it into His court,” and we stand motionless, as if God should work for us! Trusting in God means exactly that we work even when we are unable and offer our weakness, which is all we can. And if that is not enough in the face of that difficulty, we believe that when we offer our effort today and it is not enough, God will secure tomorrow for us. Trusting in God does not mean leaving matters to God (alone). Trusting in God means trusting in Him and in His care and not worrying or despairing. When we face a difficulty that exceeds our capabilities, we offer our energies without despair, believing that God will fulfill His will by helping us and achieving all good when we trust in Him and call upon Him to rescue us. “I believe, O Lord, so help my weak faith”!

I trust in God, which means that I offer now and God offers tomorrow! “They trust in horses and chariots, but we call on the name of our God.” We trust in God, so we do not fear difficulties or crises. We do His will without fear, believing that “His goodness is great and is stored up for those who fear Him.”

“Be of good courage, and let your hearts be strong, all you who trust in the Lord,” Amen.

 

 


(35) Footnote related to the title: This psalm is recited at the Great Compline Prayer.

(36) Psalm 21, 1-11.

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