Section 2: The Bible
Week 4: The Bible Is Sufficient
Day 3: The Bible Is Sufficient for Trusting God
Col. 2:6-8
The Relationship between Trust and Knowledge
The relationship between trust and knowledge is a funny thing. We need a certain amount of knowledge to build trust in someone or something. But it’s usually a lack of knowledge that forces us to put that trust into practice.
I’ve always liked the show Bones because of the dynamic between the two main characters: Dr. Temperance Brennan (Bones) and Sealy Booth. Bones is a forensic anthropologist who relies solely on hard facts. She refuses to speculate on anything and has no room for faith. Booth, on the other hand, is an FBI agent who relies on his gut to guide him. Over time the two become romantically involved. Bones, however, sees marriage as merely a cultural invention. So she resists marriage for quite a while. Eventually, however, she tells Booth she wants to get married because it’s important to him. Booth is thrilled, but there’s a problem.
A serial killer named Christopher Pelant tells Booth he’ll kill five innocent people if Booth goes through with the wedding. To make it even harder on Booth, Pelant tells him he can’t explain the real reason to Bones. Because Pelant is a technological genius who has managed to erase identities, shutdown government websites, and even hack a predator drone, Booth is pretty sure Pelant will find a way to spy on his every move and conversation. So Booth calls off the wedding without telling Bones about Pelant’s threat.
Despite her statements about marriage being just a cultural invention, Bones is hurt. Her best friend, Angela, is furious with Booth and won’t have anything to do with him. She doesn’t know why Bones stays with him.
But here’s the thing. Everything we know about Booth to this point tells us he is a fiercely loyal and trustworthy man. Bones knows that. So she trusts him even though she has no idea why he would do this to her. Angela thinks Bones is a fool, but Bones knows Booth better than Angela does. That, in part, explains their different reactions. Bones knows Booth better, so she trusts him more. She knows Booth well enough to trust him even when she doesn’t understand what he’s doing.
The Relationship between Trust and the Bible
If we’re honest, we often have questions about why God is doing what he’s doing. That’s why it’s so important for us to rely on what we know about him. If we focus on what we don’t know, trust becomes that much harder.
What does that have to do with the Bible? Plenty. If we want our trust to kick in in the midst of what we don’t know, we need to build up what we do know. And we can’t do that without the Bible because the Bible is the place where God has revealed himself. God hasn’t told us everything, but he’s revealed enough to allow us to trust him. But we can’t take advantage of that knowledge if we’re unaware of it.
If we want to trust God more, we need to know him better, and if we want to know him better we need to study Scripture more. It’s that simple.
Challenge:
Make a list of things you know about God and his plans for you.
Reflection Questions:
What problems are you facing right now? Are you worried about what God might do or not do? Look at the list you just made. What does it tell you about God’s trustworthiness? Do you think you would trust God more if you knew him better? What role does the Bible play in helping you do that?
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