Who Do I Trust

Conversations today often seem to be “out of control”. More and more  people tend to speak with absolute authority …. confident that they have the truth, the last word on a topic; they are the unmitigated predictor of the future, the  ultimate “fount of wisdom”. Yikes…..

I remember years ago having a conversation around our dinner table when my son Jon would say, “ We’re going to have a hurricane on Friday, 100 mph winds…it’s going to be really bad”. I would say, “really, I didn’t hear that….who told you that?…. oh, Rich told me. Hmmmmm, didn’t Rich tell you that the end of the world was coming last week?” Compared to what you hear expounded today, Rich WAS the “fount of wisdom”.   

Today so called truth is wrapped in many packages and approaches… all trying to make “the truth seem like the TRUTH”. Some of the approaches include “speaking LOUD WITH AUTHORITY. Another is to bring in someone famous to speak… perhaps a beautiful actor or actress… maybe a famous sports star, an “expert” on a topic, more statistics …. and believe it or not, even bringing in a politician….. auuuuugh, not a politician. 

Several years ago I was on a jury deciding a medical malpractice suit. Each side had their experts confidently explaining with great authority why the doctor on trial was either a genius – another Dr. Albert Schweitzer, or a notorious bum who should be sent to Devil’s Island Penal Colony for life. Both experts had real credentials and were convincing…. yet they both couldn’t be right. 

The MLB (Major League baseball) playoffs are underway and the first rounds are over. Prior to the start, the experts were pontificating…absolutely sure of which teams would advance. Right now four teams are left…. two had the best records by far and were expected to advance; two other teams had very mediocre records and were expected to be tossed in the first rounds. No one can predict the future, whether it’s the weather, the stock market, or the baseball playoffs.  

Okay, what’s the point of this BLOG? Well I’d like to suggest a couple of things. If we’re going to listen to someone, we need to have confidence in them… we need to trust them. Do they have a proven track record? Have they proven to be trustworthy in the past? 

Another point is “what are the limits” to the trust we give to someone….. it’s one thing to trust that old Bill is giving me the correct directions to Shoprite …it’s another thing to trust that he can give me good advice on a complex theological question….”say Bill, is it acceptable for me to tackle a 98 year old religious sister if she’s may accidently push a button to start a war….” I mean, I like Bill and I know he’s pretty good with directions, but I’m not sure about the war question.” 

Okay, let’s try and summarize. Who do I trust? Who do I trust to advise me on  important issues? Who can I count on to tell me the truth on vital issues? It’s not necessarily the loudest voice, or the most convincing voice or the “expert’s voice”. Jesus gives us the answer. He tells us “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Mt. 28:18)  Jesus is the way and the truth and the life. God’s word spoken through Jesus is the final arbiter of truth. We can trust the Lord. Once we are confident in the word and will of Almighty God, we should “push all our chips into the middle”. In the final analysis, Jesus will have the last word. Let’s be sure and place our trust and our life in his hands. And all will be well with our soul.