Trust, as revealed through a nationwide poll by Reader's Digest, often hinges on emotional satisfaction and perceived good intentions rather than true reliability. Americans tend to place confidence in familiar figures from movies and television, trusting manufactured images rather than genuine character. Trust is a vital component of faith, involving conviction in another's reliability. Ultimately, we can trust God because He is the epitome of dependability; as Zephaniah 3:5 declares, He never fails. In contrast, human beings frequently let each other down, proving inherently untrustworthy due to a self-centered nature. Micah 7:5 cautions against trusting even close companions, and Psalm 118:8 affirms that it is better to trust in the LORD than to place confidence in man, for He alone is truly worthy of it.

We are living in a world where confidence and trust, whether in individuals or institutions, is at an all-time low, driving everyone into a cynical mindset of finding fault wherever we look. This barrage of cynicism is incredibly dangerous, destroying relationships all over the place with shotgun finger pointing and conspiracy theories under every rock. As history shows, what goes on in the world often enters the church, and if we are not careful to keep our focus on the perfect unity of the Father and the Son, we risk being overwhelmed by perceived conspiracies, gossip, and others' sins, which can destroy our relationships with Jesus Christ and with one another. For those called by the Father to the Son and chosen to navigate these times with eyes focused above the sun, the bond of trust must be coalescing, not shredding. This is impossible in a carnal-minded world that is enmity against God and falling farther from truth, but through Jesus Christ and the power and strength only He can give, we must move forward in trust, knowing that God will absolutely accomplish what He declared from the beginning. The absolute trust between the Father and the Word, and Their trust in Their perfect plan to create us in Their image, stands as the first and second examples of trust for us. This unbreakable bond of trust within Their relationship and Their carefully planned work must be firmly in our minds and hearts. As members of God's church, we are not isolated from the larger society's deep-seated distrust of institutions and government, a trend that has worsened over decades. This plague of mistrust affects our relationships with Jesus Christ and each other when we fail to keep our focus where it belongs. Suspicion, fear, and distrust have caused damage within the church, making us fearful of being hurt or misled, unsure of trusting anyone, and leading to broken loyalty to God, His truth, and each other. We must remember the perfect example of trust set by God Himself, who declares the end from the beginning, working out His plan down to the last detail, so we can patiently wait on Him and walk in faith without growing weary. God's plan, purpose, and execution have been working exactly as the Father and the Word declared from the start. We must not limit God with our human perspective, but see everything from His viewpoint of absolute control, even when it seems incomprehensible to us. Our perspective must align with God's, trusting in His limitless power, authority, and foresight to accomplish His declared plan without relying on human folly. We must keep our eyes focused on God, seeing His hand working for His glory, and not limit Him by our shortcomings. Do we trust our Great God who declares the end from the beginning, or do we turn to opinions amidst the growing chaos around us?

Trust within the body of Christ is essential for righteous living and outgoing service to the whole. If we truly hold the conviction that God's words apply equally to our brethren as they do to ourselves, there would be no schism among the elect, but rather absolute trust in the Father to do His work. We must trust one another, both implicitly and explicitly, because we trust the Father and His work in us, His handpicked group that He has blessed almost beyond comprehension. The god of this world strives to destroy that sacred trust and the unity of the brethren, driving us not to intimately trust our brethren whom he accuses day and night. With hearts of faithful children, we must be firmly convicted that each one called now has been blessed and measured together with gifts in preparation for the return of our older brother, as our Father has purposed. Our great God is faithful in placing people exactly where He wants us, creating the body of believers who are becoming the fullness of the body of Christ. We must trust God in learning to trust one another, knowing that every one of us may fall, but do we trust our Father enough to know that He will work it out? Our faithful God proclaims the end from the beginning, seeing us as we will be, not merely as we are. We should strive to do the same toward one another, or there will be no unified body of believers at Christ's return. His plan will succeed, but individually, we could fail unless we learn now to faithfully trust one another and, by extension, God, in humility. Trust is a two-way street with our Father directing traffic, and it is our responsibility to seek His direction in handling difficult relationship issues with proper judgment, compassion, and mercy towards one another through prayer. In every life event within the body of Christ, prayer and walking according to the direction God gives is the answer, providing the opportunity to help each other keep from wandering from the truth in a right way. Both positions of being in need and supplying the need require us to drop our defenses and make ourselves vulnerable, trusting our brethren who are with us in our circumstances, relying together on the direction of our compassionate and merciful Lord.

Trust forms the cornerstone of the relationship within the Family of God, exemplified by the absolute trust between the Father and the Word, and Their united trust in accomplishing Their plan to bring all men into Their Family. This perfect trust, established long before the foundations of time and space, underpins God's sovereign authority and His purpose to create man in His image and likeness as sons in His Family. Absolute trust in God is essential for our loyalty and trustworthy service in the places He has set each of us. Such trust ensures peace, productivity, and growth with outgoing concern for eternity. Our Great God can always be trusted, and failing to trust Him and His plans, set before we can barely imagine, leads us down a dangerous road. The angels exemplify trust through their dedication, loyalty, and faithfulness in using the power and honor God granted them to fulfill the duties He assigned. Their trustworthiness in the places God has placed them serves as a model for us, as we too are set apart for His honor and glory. In contrast, the being once known as Helel, a shining light for God's glory, became satan, the adversary and destroyer, by allowing envy to corrupt the wisdom God had given him. This breach of trust, possibly fueled by envy over not being created in God's image, highlights the devastating consequences of breaking the bond of trust with God. We must reject satan's spirit of challenging God's sovereignty, remaining trustworthy in the places He has placed us to create perfect peace and harmony for eternity.