David wrote the 37th Psalm in a time when Israel was feeling the pressure of a world that had turned it’s back on God. As King, he wrote to encourage God’s people as they sang and worshiped on the Sabbath. He calls upon them not to get angry, be anxious, or try to hide. Instead, to respond by delighting in the Lord, trusting Him, always seeking to live faithfully for the world to see.

But the idea of trust is difficult when faced with a world determined to go it’s own way, believing it can choose for itself and doesn’t need God. Because of David’s experience with those who wanted to destroy him, he knew God’s people needed to realize the only way into the future was to commit themselves to the Lord and trust Him to deliver them.

I have found myself asking, “What does this keyword, trust, mean?” Several Hebrew words are translated trust. However, the one used here is the one most often used in scripture. Linguists tell us this word refers to someone having the confidence to act even though the act is difficult. To trust is to believe in the One who will do it.

To illustrate the power of this word Imagine the trust you would need for a bungee jump. You stand on a platform far above the asphalt below. There are those who watch thinking you foolish or wondering if they might try. As for you, you made the commitment. But it’s frightening! You stand there having to make a choice: First you can go back down the ladder. Or secondly, you can trust the bungee and jump!

The first option allows your escape. Those who watch leave thinking you either not committed, or like them, smart enough to see the foolishness of it. Taking the second option, however, may encourage those watching. Why, because your jump verifies both your commitment and the truth the bungee promised. The bungee did it! And the watchers might even try it themselves!

David’s psalm promises just this. When we trust God, whatever the challenge we face, He not only cares for us but will light up our witness for the world to see. Hear the words of promise and consequence in the passage below.

Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it; bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your judgment as the noonday. Psalm 37:5-6.

Who lights up your witness?