As I opened my Bible this morning, I asked the Lord to speak to me about what it really means to trust him, and how I might grow in this most critical aspect of being his child. Many never seem to waver in the slightest, but for those of us who do our biggest stumbling block is that we cannot explain why. We know in our minds that the Father is totally trustworthy and that he doesn't treat us as our sins deserve, but somehow there is a disconnect.

Isaiah 10 starts with "What sorrow awaits the unjust judges …" and continues with "What sorrow awaits Assyria …" followed by "the Lord will consume Assyria's glory" with his fiery judgement. Then, out of the blue, we read a stunning prophetic promise which would be sure to come about: "In that day the remnant left in Israel … will no longer depend on allies who [in reality] seek to destroy them. But they will faithfully trust the Lord" (10:20).

The words "faithfully trust the Lord" (NLT) flew off the page. I had to find out what that meant. The NIV has "truly rely on the Lord" which brought some revelation. Then I looked it up in Alec Motyer's Commentary and found the literal meaning to be "truly lean on the Lord". What a beautiful picture! The people of Israel had been leaning on others; trusting in military alliances with those who were in fact their sworn enemies. I realized I can be guilty of "trusting" the lies of Satan when he appears as an angel of light and there is obvious truth in some of what he is saying. Yet he is the sworn enemy of my soul!

God promises his people that they will come to totally and faithfully rely on him and him alone to save them; they will come to live in total dependence on him; they will come to truly lean on him and entrust themselves to him, knowing that were he to fail them (which he never could) they would simply fall flat on their faces! Is this the way I trust God? Could it become the way? Yes!!

Do I "faithfully" trust him and "truly lean" on him, or do I still have something to prove? Is my trust in him shaped by the revelation of his character as revealed in his Word or by over-zealous legalistic teachers who emphasize judgment over mercy, law over grace, justice over compassion and our personal holiness over "the three" of 1Cr 13: our faith, hope and love? How does God describe himself?

When Moses asked God to show him his glory, he revealed himself as Yahweh – the God of personal relationship – the Sovereign One who is filled with goodness, mercy and compassion. The Hebrew word "hesed" describes the very heart of God; telling us what he is really like. It occurs 250 times in the OT. Its essence is "loving-kindness" expressed with a warm and friendly smile – in word, deed, empathy, compassion and identification. It is also translated "unfailing love, faithful love, everlasting kindness, covenant-keeping love; favour, approval and grace". All are seen in Jesus and modelled by him. "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father" (Jn 14:9).

I found God saying to me: "Don't just 'trust me', but do so in a way faithful to my Word and to my character; truly rely upon me; lean every aspect of yourself wholly upon me. Let go and let me carry you through life and into eternity."