Greetings and good morning, brothers and sisters. This is Dr. James Perry continuing with our series where we seek to explore the deeper meanings of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Over the years, the heavenly Father has revealed many revelations of spiritual truth to me, and I want to share them with you. This morning we seek to understand the meaning of trust.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
The Meaning of Trust
"Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him." Psalms, Chapter 2, Verses 12
Brothers and sisters, in today’’s broadcast, we shall explore the meaning of trust. We know that trust is important. It is important in our material affairs as well as our spiritual ones, albeit it, the quality of spiritual trust and material trust is different as are the implications. So we ask just what is trust? What is it that causes someone to trust? And what are its manifestations?
In order for us to understand spiritual trust, we shall recall a recent event in our national history. For the first time, the people of our country elected an Afro-American for president. Now this is a monumental achievement for our country and a powerful symbol for those belonging to or identifying with a minority race. For all of those who have been covered by the smothering blanket of unjust discrimination and denied opportunity, this achievement represents the removal of that blanket, and allows those who have been laboring under them to breathe the fresh air of fairness and opportunity. No longer must they continue to live with the handicap of knowing that no matter how capable they are, they will be denied the opportunity to become all they can be in this life, for this achievement that not only can they improve their lot in this life, but it is possible for them to rise to the highest office in the land--President of the United States of America. The top has been blown off the kettle.
This achievement signals a new turn in race relationships in this country. It also signals a new level of trust for the country. And even though not all of the people of this country voted for the Afro-American president, the majority of the people did. This new majority was composed of young people who have risen to the intellectual level of embracing their idealism and embracing hope for the future rather than fear. It is significant that the election was won on the platform of hope rather than fear. Too often in our country elections have turned on the appeal to the worst in us, cemented by our fear.
Another group who helped bring about this change were minorities themselves who turned out in record numbers to vote. The last group who were sick of business as usual and who finally discerned that it was not in their best interest to vote their future and their children’’s future upon the backs of fear and mistrust acted in a different way as well. They were the ones who found it impossible to ignore the toothache of failed policies based on selfish philosophies of exclusion rather than inclusion.
Thus the stage was set for the population of the United States to turn in a new direction, a direction of inclusion for all of its people. But things had to get really bad for the majority to trust a minority with their political future. It required a great stimulus for trust to emerge, a trust not based on the hope of getting into the exclusive group, but a hope based on the fact that we are all Americans, that we are all a part of one group, and that our future is irretrievably linked. The stimulus for this achievement was the specter of the United States going up in the flames of economic disaster.
But it required a great person to bring this about, a person who could in truth represent all people. Too often, the motive of the person aspiring to higher office is to represent the group of which he is apart, rather than to represent all people. But in this president--the offspring of a white mother and a black father--a united understanding of the majority view and the minority point of view comes into view. And this is why his message was so effective, generating the trust that made it possible for him to win. He truly understood the majority and the minority. He understood that even though they may have different cultural ways of articulating their hopes and dreams, they are basically the same as human beings. Now let’’s take up the meaning of spiritual trust.
Spiritual trust comes when it is needed. The soul is absolutely dependent upon the Father regardless of whether the material mind likes it or not. Trust is the result of a willingness to place our dearest hopes and dreams, our deepest longings and aspirations, our ideals and our absolute desire to survive the mortal life in the hands of one whom we call God. We all know the story of how the mortal life ends. It ends in death, but we long for someway, somehow to alter this story so that it is not final in all of its terrible nefarious majesty, for when it has spoken, nothing else can be said. But nevertheless we want to find away of transcending its end.
And in response to this, something rises up within us which gives us hope that we can transcend death, that we can live again in the spiritual sense, that we can take all of those values and worthwhile meanings with us to a new existence. Something rises up within us that says that not only can we hope for this transcendency, but that we will transcend our mortality. And this something is our spiritual faith, a gift of the Heavenly Father, the one who has the power and know-how to make it possible. Jesus said, "In my Father’’s house are many mansions; if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." And so trust is born in response to faith.
This trust comes to dominate all aspects of our lives. As we live life on life’’s terms, trust has an opportunity to function. No matter what we go through, there is a hope to not only survive it but somehow emerge better because of it. This hope is in direct conflict with the material mind who all though desires to survive and become better for it, knows that materially this is not going to happen. It knows that after each of its battle with the vicissitudes of life, it emerges just a little bit weaker after it has passed its pinnacle of youth. The material self may not want to go through the material cycle of life or feels that it cannot go through it; nevertheless it can and will go through it. As it enters the sundown of its life, its struggle with the body is an up-hill journey. As the life forces are slowly sucked out it, its reaction is either despair or resignation to an apparently cruel fate: oblivion.
But to antidote this natural reaction to his mortality, the forecasts of faith reassures him that all is well in his soul, and this forecast of assurance in his soul cause his soul to break forth in the melody of hope which sounds like this: "Even though, he slay me, yet will I serve him for my Vindicator lives." This melody is sweet to the soul and imbues it with a peace that passes all understanding. Trust enables the soul to abide by the Father’’s will. It passes through all the ups and downs of life subject to the Father’’s will. It insists in every crises of material challenge that it has faith and trusts the Father’’s plan. It ever seeks the Father’’s will when harassed by the uncertainty of a painful existence. And when it enters the terminal phase of life, the peace generated by trust not only showers the soul but thoroughly permeates it. But the greatest technique for fostering faith and trust of the soul is the practice of worship.
The practice of worship brings the soul into intimate contact with its maker, the heavenly Father. Constant soul contact with the heavenly Father gradually makes the soul like the Father, and imparts trust in him. The worship experience discloses his goodness and causes the soul to experience contact that is so real, vivid, and satisfying of its hopes, dreams, longings, aspirations and ideals, which it entrusted to the Father’’s care
This concludes today's message on understanding the meaning of trust. We hope you find something in this message to ponder and pray about as you go about your day.
Until next time, this is Dr. James Perry
The Meaning of Trust
Inspirational Messages
By James Perry
Your Kingdom Come; Thy Will Be Done!
The Meaning of Trust
