Sermonstudio

Trusting is never easy. Even in the best of relationships, people step into trust slowly. There is wariness -- questioning -- worry. What happens if trust is betrayed? What if this doesn't work? Sometimes it's like a dance. We step in and out of trust, moving to the rhythms of fear. For many, the routine is achingly familiar. Indeed, it's not easy to trust.

And when it comes to trusting God the process can be the same, only more so. The writer of this psalm is a case in point. "In you I put my trust, O God. Don't let me be put to shame." In other words, I trust you God, but I'm a little nervous. Here there is a dance of fear, as well. The writer of this piece declares (his) trust while reminding God about mercy and love, just in case the deity might forget. "And God? You're not going to remember that time I messed up really bad, are you?"

The nervousness of this writer belies the myth of absolute belief. In spite of the storm of voices claiming unshakable and certain belief, the truth is that many struggle and stumble into faith. Like this psalm, we believe, but we want to be sure that God's not going to let us down. We believe, but will God hold our past against us? "We believe ... help our unbelief" (Mark 9:24).

Finally, though our psalm writer will not go there, it comes down to grace. We waltz in and out of our willingness to trust the Holy, while God remains faithful. We slip and slide on the highway of our fear and insecurity and God loves us still. More than that, God's love for us trumps our frailties and predates our litany of failures and foul-ups. In fact, God's grace takes the initiative and reaches out for us even as we duck and weave in our vain dance of fear.

The message comes to all people, especially those who wrestle with trust. Even if we are fainthearted and inconstant, God stands firm. No matter what the rhythm of our dance, God seeks to cut in, to be our partner. The bottom line is that God is greater than our worry, deeper than our mistrust, and more gracious than our inconstancy.

Comfort, then, can be taken as we struggle toward faith. Others before us have struggled, too. And they, like us, have met with the awesome wonder of God's grace.