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◄ Trust: Leads to Being Compassed With Mercy►

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Topical Encyclopedia

In the biblical context, trust is a profound reliance on the character, ability, strength, and truth of God. It is a foundational element of faith, deeply rooted in the relationship between God and His people. Trusting in God is not merely an intellectual assent but an active, living confidence in His promises and His providential care.

Biblical Foundation

The concept of trust is woven throughout Scripture, often linked with the experience of God's mercy. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for trust, "batach," conveys a sense of security and confidence. Trusting in God is depicted as a refuge and a source of strength. The Psalms, in particular, highlight this relationship between trust and divine mercy.

Psalm 32:10 states, "Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but loving devotion surrounds him who trusts in the LORD." This verse illustrates the protective and encompassing nature of God's mercy for those who place their trust in Him. The imagery of being "compassed" or surrounded by mercy suggests a divine shield, offering both protection and comfort.

Trust and Mercy in the Psalms

The Psalms frequently associate trust with the experience of God's steadfast love and mercy.Psalm 13:5 declares, "But I have trusted in Your loving devotion; my heart will rejoice in Your salvation." Here, trust is directly linked to the assurance of God's merciful intervention and deliverance.

Psalm 33:18-22 further emphasizes this connection: "Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His loving devotion, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. For our hearts rejoice in Him, since we trust in His holy name. May Your loving devotion rest on us, O LORD, as we put our hope in You." This passage underscores the reciprocal relationship between trust and mercy, where trust in God's holy name results in the experience of His loving devotion.

New Testament Perspective

In the New Testament, trust in God is exemplified through faith in Jesus Christ. The Greek word "pistis," often translated as faith, encompasses trust and belief. The life and teachings of Jesus provide the ultimate revelation of God's mercy, inviting believers to trust in Him for salvation and eternal life.

Ephesians 2:4-5 highlights the mercy of God as a response to faith: "But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved!" Trusting in Christ leads to the experience of God's rich mercy, manifesting in spiritual renewal and salvation.

Practical Implications

For believers, trusting in God is both a spiritual discipline and a source of comfort. It involves surrendering personal control and relying on God's wisdom and timing. This trust is not passive but active, expressed through prayer, obedience, and a steadfast hope in God's promises.

The assurance of being compassed with mercy provides believers with peace and confidence, even amidst trials and uncertainties. It is a reminder of God's unwavering commitment to His people, offering them grace and compassion in every circumstance.

In summary, trust in God is a central theme in Scripture, intricately linked with the experience of His mercy. It is through trust that believers find themselves surrounded by God's loving devotion, experiencing His protection, guidance, and unfailing love.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 32:10
Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusts in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Sheep and their Shepherd
... All theirtrust on him is stayed; all their hope on him... They follow, however, whom
heleads the way.Being the counterpart of each other, what the one does the...

Sin Overcoming and Overcome
... consciousness and the very basis of ourbeing, yet by a... the depths, and learn to
have notrust in yourselves... strong for me,' and the impotent 'me'leads on to...

Faith and Regeneration
... When the Holy Ghostleads us to rely upon the Lord Jesus... If Itrust Christ to save
me from sin, I am... the infirmities and errors I see in them,being also myself...

Two Shepherds and Two Flocks
... have their portion in this life, who 'trust in their... be their Shepherd,' and instead
of theirbeing led merely... of water,' here we read that He 'leads them to...

Scriptural Poems;Being Several Portions of Scripture Digested...
... Would but those men whose geniusleads them to't... Whereof his masterbeing well aware,
Committed all he had... so just, That all things were committed to histrust....

Psalm XL.
... The "broad way"leads unto death, [1110] its breadth... the Name of the Lord histrust,
and hath... longer uttered....Those sacrifices then, asbeing but expressions...

The Sixth Miracle in John's Gospel --The Blind Made to See, and...
... Itleads to censorious judgments, or to mere idle and... and wash.' And some friendly
handbeing stretched out... with Christ's invitation, 'Come to Me;trust in Me...

Love's Logic
... as a proof of God's love, and nowbeing satisfied of... Canst thou now believe in Jesus;
that is,trust him?... Thisleads us, in the third place, to consider for a...

The Exile.
... Some new caprice of Saul's, however,leads him to... the danger and the persistency
of the suppliant'strust.... the self-existent Fountain of timelessBeing; as the...

Transformation by Beholding
... Christian progress, that the beholding of Christleads to the... beholding, but the
gaze of love andtrust that moulds... and in all the extent of hisbeing, and in...