The Only Thing I Know

“…but I will trust in thee.” (Psalm 55:23)

         The Bible challenges us over and over to “trust in God,” and I can say from experience, He is altogether trustworthy. But would you not agree that trust in God is seen and known most vividly when our commitment to Him and his will is preceded by the preposition, “but?” We may say, “God has been so good and given me so much, and I will trust Him with all my life.” But to make the same vow when you’re at a place in your life when the picture is not quite as rosy, is to add luster to your words that the former lacks. (“Easy-believism” doesn’t just apply to salvation.) We only have to look at David’s circumstances when he wrote these words to appreciate what I’m saying.

         When you read the entire chapter, you find this good man, or as my husband often calls him, “God’s darling David,” speaks these words of commitment when God is not answering his prayers, and he’s being hounded by people who hate him; one of which is someone he considered a close friend and confidant. He fears for his very life and would gladly run away from it all if he could. No wonder he prefaces his vow of trust to God with “but.” Wouldn’t you?

Those times when you’ve prayed long and hard, but seemingly to no avail, do you refuse to regard God’s silence as indifference? When you’re forced to endure unfair criticism from foes and friends, do you say with Joseph, “…ye thought evil against me; but God meant it for good…”? When you face the specter of death, your own or someone dear to you, can you say with Job, “…the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD”? When you have a driving urge to chuck it all and run for the hills, are you willing to “stand still in Jordan,” even when you think you might drown (Josh. 3:8)? In other words, can you—can I— not just say to God, “I will trust in Thee,” can we truly say, “…but I will trust in Thee”?

I’m thinking just now of a dear Christian lady who is standing for the second time at the bedside of her husband lying in a life-threatening condition, this time even scarier than the first. After he overcame a heart attack and was able to again serve God, I heard her say something in testimony that spoke to my heart. She, as I, came to know the Lord as a child, and as she said, “The only thing I’ve ever known is just to trust Him.” I related immediately with that. So much so that I sat down soon after and penned a few words, thinking I might one day put them to music.

THE ONLY THING I KNOW

There is so much in life beyond my understanding,

God's purposes and plans so oft unseen to me;

But when things I know for sure seem to be fading,

There is One in Heav'n by faith I still can see.

     Oh, the only thing I know is just to trust Him,

     The only hope I have is in the promise of His Word;

     But I can tell you, friend, this has been enough for me,

     I can trust Him till His blessed face I see.

You may build your life on this world’s sinking sand,

Place your faith and trust in some man's faulty scheme;

But I choose to rest secure within my Savior’s loving Hand,

He has promised to supply my every need.