“Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.”

After the events of this week, I felt in need of comfort and encouragement for the struggles to come. The words of the hymn Nothing Is Impossible keep running through my head:

Put your trust in God alone and Rest upon His Word, and everything, yes everything, Oh, everything is possible with God.

Difficult days are ahead for Christians. We will be tested and refined. It is important to remember our trust belongs in the One who never disappoints.

“…in God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me?” (Psalm 56:11)

Bombarded with shocking revelations and accusations, misinformation and half-truths, targeted by scammers and schemers, it is hard to know who we can trust. When the people in leadership positions are revealed to have committed misdeeds, how do we know who we can rely on?

As always, the Scriptures provide guidance in such a time as this.

When it comes to those we should follow in positions of leadership, the Bible tells us this in Exodus 18:21: But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain…

We can judge the character of leaders by looking at the results of their choices, as we are told in Matthew 7:20: You can tell who the false prophets are by their deeds. We can read “false prophets” to be anyone who would choose to advise us, whether friends or leaders. A person whose own life is in a shambles would be the last one we should trust to tell us how to live.

The best advice in today’s confusing times bears repeating:

Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.

Psalm 40:4 (NIV)