According to Webster’s Dictionary, the word "Trust" means, “confidence in a person or thing because of the qualities one perceives or seems to perceive in him or it; to have faith or trust in, she trusts him implicitly.”

When we trust someone, it doesn’t mean we believe the person is perfect, but it does mean we believe they are not going to betray or walk out on their vows because their spouse is just being human.  No person can meet all their spouse's emotional needs.  Only Jesus Christ is perfect, who had the advantage of being God.

Without trust, there is no relationship.  Without trust, one cannot obey God.  Without trust, a person cannot have a successful marriage.  They will either divorce, or live in constant fear and stress about what their spouse is going to do next.  Will they cheat on their vows, or just break their vows by deserting them?

Psalms 31 NKJV

The Lord, a Fortress in Adversity

¹ In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed: Deliver me in Your righteousness. ² Bow down Your ear to me; Deliver me speedily: Be my rock of refuge, A fortress of defense to save me. ³ For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name’s sake, Lead me and guide me. ⁴ Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me: For You are my strength.  ⁵ Into Your hand I commit my spirit: You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth. ⁶ I have hated those who regard useless idols: But I trust in the Lord. ⁷ I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy: For You have considered my trouble; You have known my soul in adversities, ⁸ And have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: You have set my feet in a wide place. ⁹ Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble: My eye wastes away with grief, Yes, my soul and my body! ¹⁰ For my life is spent with grief, And my years with sighing; My strength fails because of my iniquity, And my bones waste away.  ¹¹ I am a reproach among all my enemies, But especially among my neighbors, And am repulsive to my acquaintances; Those who see me outside flee from me. ¹² I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel. ¹³ For I hear the slander of many; Fear is on every side; While they take counsel together against me, They scheme to take away my life. ¹⁴ But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” ¹⁵ My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, And from those who persecute me. ¹⁶ Make Your face shine upon Your servant; Save me for Your mercies’ sake. ¹⁷ Do not let me be ashamed, O Lord, for I have called upon You; Let the wicked be ashamed; Let them be silent in the grave. ¹⁸ Let the lying lips be put to silence, Which speak insolent things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous. ¹⁹ Oh, how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear You, Which You have prepared for those who trust in You In the presence of the sons of men! ²⁰ You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence From the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion From the strife of tongues. ²¹ Blessed be the Lord, For He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city! ²² For I said in my haste, “I am cut off from before Your eyes”; Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications When I cried out to You.  ²³ Oh, love the Lord, all you His saints! For the Lord preserves the faithful, And fully repays the proud person. ²⁴ Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the Lord.

The word trust itself is used over 150 times and it appears in nearly every book in the Bible.

There is a saying by men, both professional and men in general, who have had a good marriage for over 50 years. They say "The more I know about women, the more I realize I don’t understand them."

Many people don't understand God, but that doesn’t mean they don’t trust in Him.

King David didn't always understand God.  He didn't think God always understood him, but King David still put his trust in the Lord.

Job 1 NKJV

Job and His Family in Uz

¹ There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.  ² And seven sons and three daughters were born to him.  ³ Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East. ⁴ And his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his appointed day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.  ⁵ So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did regularly.

Satan Attacks Job’s Character

⁶ Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.  ⁷ And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” ⁸ Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” ⁹ So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing?  ¹⁰ Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.  ¹¹ But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!”  ¹²And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Job Loses His Property and Children

¹³ Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house; ¹⁴ and a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, ¹⁵ when the Sabeans raided them and took them away—indeed they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!” ¹⁶ While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell you!” ¹⁷ While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels and took them away, yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!” ¹⁸ While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁹ and suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you!” ²⁰ Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped.  ²¹ And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.” ²² In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.

Job 2:1-10 NKJV

Satan Attacks Job’s Health

¹ Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord.  ² And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” ³ Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause.” ⁴ So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.  ⁵ But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” ⁶ And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.” ⁷ So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.  ⁸ And he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself while he sat in the midst of the ashes. ⁹ Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” ¹⁰ But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

You can see in the story of Job that Job trusted God no matter how awful the outward circumstances were.  Job understood the word of God and offered up sacrifices to God, but bad things still happened to Job and his family. 

Job didn’t understand why bad things were happening in his life, but he still chose to trust in God, knowing that God knew and understood all things and made righteous decisions.

Job didn’t listen to his wife who wanted Job to turn his back on God.  Instead, he continued to trust in God and give grace to his wife.  He did not leave her.

What about you dear saint?  Do you trust in God when things go wrong in your life?  Do you trust your spouse when they disappoint you in some area of thought or emotional need, or, are you ready to desert your family because of human imperfections?

I'm not talking about adultery, but when they are imperfect and don't understand or sympathize with you the way you want them to.

If you're looking for a perfect person to always understand you, then you will fail in marriage because you are looking for a god and not a marriage partner. 

No spouse can take the place of God because people are not perfect and need to give grace to one another to survive in marriage, business, friendship, families, etc.

Please judge yourself and give grace to your partner. If your spouse is not involved in infidelity, but just has human frailties and doesn’t understand you, give them grace.  It is possible they will never be able to fully understand and meet your emotional needs, because that might be humanly impossible. 

1 Peter 4:8 NKJV

⁸ And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”

TRUST in God and give Him GRACE even though circumstances might be going on in your life that you don’t understand or agree with, because you know scripture tells us that, "All things work together for good to them that love Him".

Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV

¹¹ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Also give grace to your spouse and friends, because trust is the basis for all relationships.  People are not perfect and never will or can be perfect.  As long as there is no infidelity, outright betrayal or total disloyalty, love covers a multitude of sins and keeps the relationship intact.

Remember, trust can be restored when repentance has taken place. God requires us to forgive so He can forgive us and restore us to a place of trust.

Matthew 6:9-13 NKJV

⁹ "In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ¹⁰ Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread. ¹² And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. ¹³ And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."

Blessings,
Dr. Jonathan Hansen