David's True Formula of Trust

When we are weak and in difficult situations, is our trust in the Lord? Or instead, do we get angry and blame the Lord? What if we actually experience the latter more often?

There is good news for all of us. The circumstances of the world may change easily, but we can have trust in the Lord who never changes. For that, let us trace what weakens our confidence and ways to apply true trust like David.

What Is Wrong with My Life?

Before becoming a Christian, I used to be angry with the Lord.

I felt that I had lived rightly. I came to class on time, studied diligently, and did not cheat on assignments. I worked while attending college, and I also served in music ministry almost every day. Yet I was not happy. My financial condition was miserable, and at that mature age, I still did not have a partner. Meanwhile, my friends, who did not have to go through suffering, could have it all.

After going through Bible Study, my mindset changed. It turned out that all this time I was afraid of facing the future and forgot to put my hope in the Lord. I was not grateful for what I had and was always complaining. As a result, my trust in God was completely eroded.

3 Formulas of David's Trust

One of the inspirations that changed my mindset was King David's true trust in the Lord. And I want to share David's formula.

Here are three guidelines from David that can strengthen our hearts in times of weakness:

1. Trust in Suffering

But David strengthened his trust in the Lord, his God. – 1 Samuel 30:6b

When David and his soldiers arrived in Ziklag, the city had already been destroyed by fire. Some of its people, including both of David's wives, had been taken captive by the Amalekites. Not only that, David was also threatened with being stoned by the people who were disappointed in him.

When we go through suffering, we may become afraid and feel that the world is unfair. David was not exempt from those feelings either. Yet the verse above implies how great David's faith was in the Lord. His strength to rise again was based on David's true trust that the Lord would help him.

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in You; in God, whose word I praise, in God I trust, I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” – Psalm 56:3-4

Trust and fear are two things that are logically opposed. Yet instead of losing faith, suffering actually formed David to live in surrender and in the justice of the Lord. The greater David's fear, the greater also was his faith in the Lord.

Commit your life to the Lord and trust in Him, and He will act; He will bring forth your righteousness like the light, and your justice like the noonday. – Psalm 37:5-6

David also had strong confidence in the Lord's favor toward him. David's attitude of heart inspires us to remain faithful and believe in the Lord even in uncomfortable conditions.

2. Trust in Repentance

When the prophet Nathan rebuked him for the sins of adultery and murder, David seriously took a posture of repentance. He expressed his grief over his sins:

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your steadfast love; blot out my transgressions according to Your great mercy! Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and I am always struggling with my sin.” – Psalm 51:1-3

Often pride and self-justification cause us to fail to put our trust in the Lord. As a result, we easily complain, are quick to be disappointed, and become envious. These are spiritual diseases that can shake our trust in the Lord. The willingness to repent immediately is an expression of David's humility that we can imitate.

3. Trust for Happiness

“Blessed is the person who puts his trust in the Lord, who does not turn to the proud, or to those who have turned aside to lies!” – Psalm 40:4

I am convinced that when David wrote that psalm, he had experienced it personally. David found happiness when he placed his full trust in the Lord.

“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and be faithful, and delight yourself in the Lord; then He will give you what your heart desires.” – Psalm 37:3-4

Besides that, David advises us not to be angry and envious of those who act deceitfully. Instead, we are to respond to them with goodness and faithfulness. David assures us that when we delight in the Lord and act with the right motivation, there is a beautiful promise waiting for us.

How is our faith in the Lord today? May David's formula of true trust help us believe one thing: The world may change, but the steadfast love of the Lord never changes forever and ever. Amen.