Weekly musing - Dawn

Ruthless Trust -

Ruthless trust was a word given to me for this year. It is now into the second month of the year. Lately, I find myself pondering what exactly is ruthless trust and living it daily. When given the word initially, I wasn’t jumping for joy. I remembered the book Ruthless Trust, by Brennan Manning.

He states in his book, “The way of trust is a movement into obscurity, into the undefined, into ambiguity, not into some predetermined, clearly delineated plan for the future. The reality of naked trust is the life of a pilgrim who leaves what is nailed down, obvious, and secure, and walks into the unknown without any rational explanation to justify the decision or guarantee the future. Why? Because God has signaled the movement and offered it his presence and his promise.” It seems difficult and hard. It’s like taking it up a notch versus just trusting. And just trusting is already challenging. It doesn’t make sense and goes against logic and the way of our society.

Ruthless is an unrelenting knowing, unwavering and intense determination or confidence that who I am believing in will provide everything I need for life. Trust is the firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something. It involves confidence, reliance, and often a willingness to expose oneself to risk in a relationship. So why is it hard?

We must know who we are believing in. Is God trustworthy? Is He loving? Does He have my best interests at heart? Is He good? Does He really love me? In answering these questions, on the surface, Yes is the answer. However, after careful thought, do I really believe and know that Yes is the answer. What about this time when I thought it was going to work out and it didn’t at least how I thought it would. Or when this was prayed about and there was no answer or it didn’t seem like there was an answer?

But maybe, these are not the right questions or perspective. Maybe it doesn’t have anything to do with God and who He is, but really my perspective of who I think He is and who I am. What if when I look at my life and see that He has always been faithful, even during the times I didn’t see Him, then I can see that He has been trustworthy. And what about those times when I sensed He was there even during losses, then I can know that He is with me. He hasn’t left me alone. And how about those times when I know for a fact He led me out of some tough things. Then I know He has my best interest at heart and He is good.

So maybe reframing what I think is hard, is exercising those muscles of a history of trusting. And taking a risk to let Abba meet my needs, instead of thinking I need to be self-sufficient. Maybe this is more relationship building and knowing that even if I don’t think I can, Abba can for me since I’m not alone.

Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:9-11, talks about that they had received the sentence of death. “But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.”

Rely (3982) peitho – to convince; confident; follow, be sure, trust. To confide in, rely upon.

Paul was so distraught they thought they would die. But they needed to rely upon, be confident in, be sure and trust not on themselves but on God who raises the dead.

Delivered (4506) – rescue

Hope (1679) – to trust in, to confide in

So, Paul reminded himself and those with him to rely upon God. Why? Because God had delivered and rescued them before, which allowed them to set their hope and trust in Him.

According to Brennan Manning in Ruthless Trust, “Faith arises from the personal experience of Jesus as Lord. Hope is reliance on the promise of Jesus, accompanied by the expectation of fulfillment. Trust is the winsome wedding of faith and hope.” Exactly why Paul was able to trust in Him when they received the sentence of death. And, why we can also trust in Him in our daily life.

“Trust, grounded in faith and hope, reaches an unprecedented level in the experience of infinite love. It is useless to protest that such a concept is too big for us. Of course it is too big for us. The kabod Yahweh, the absolute glory of God, is revealed in Jesus as absolute love, and we can only be brushed by it. Nevertheless, we are made for that which is too big for us. We are made for God, and nothing less will ever satisfy us.” Brennan Manning, Ruthless Trust.

So now ruthless trust doesn’t seem hard. I can trust in Abba because He has also delivered and rescued me before. He is the one who gives me everything to live this life. He is my breath and the heartbeat of my heart. His fingerprints are all over me. He loves me so much and will deliver and rescue again and again! Nothing else will satisfy the longing in my heart. So, I will rest, rely upon Him and ruthlessly trust!