Micah-Who Can I Trust?

“The godly people have all disappeared; not one honest person is left on earth. They are all murderers, setting traps even for their own brothers. Both their hands are equally skilled at doing evil! Officials and judges alike demand bribes. The people with influence get what they want, and together they scheme to twist justice. Even the best of them is like a brier; the most honest is as dangerous as a hedge of thorns. But your judgment day is coming swiftly now. Your time of punishment is here, a time of confusion. Don’t trust anyone—not your best friend or even your wife! For the son despises his father. The daughter defies her mother. The daughter-in-law defies her mother-in-law. Your enemies are right in your own household! As for me, I look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me.” Micah 7:2-7 NLT.

     Anybody ever found yourself there? Feeling like those closest to you can’t be trusted? Maybe you’ve been betrayed by someone you’ve trusted? And how does this line up with James 5:16? “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” There seems to be a paradox here…we are supposed to have connection with others, yet we don’t trust others. Hmmm.

     So here are my thoughts. The Bible doesn’t contradict itself. That means we need to look deeper and understand the context.

     Blue Letter Bible online commentary says:

     Do not trust in a friend: Because of their rampant sin and selfishness, personal relationships have crumbled among God's people. One cannot trust in a friend or put confidence in a companion, and even blood relatives are at war with each other.

     Therefore I will look to the LORD … my God will hear me: In this sin-immersed culture, there are few people to give confidence or compassion - so one can only look to the LORD.

     This is a bad thing, because people should be honorable and trustworthy enough so that we can find confidence and compassion from them. Nevertheless, God can use this as a good thing, because it forces people to put their trust in the only One who can never let them down - the God of my salvation.

     It’s not hard to look around and find ourselves living in a time much like Micah experienced. My family is dealing with that now. Someone we allowed in and trusted has spread some things that are not true. So….what do we do?

     I believe the first thing is, we look to God. He is the only One who is all-knowing. He sees the beginning from the end and everything in-between. We seek Him and we listen. He is able to show us where to walk and who to walk with. We ask Him who our safe people are and we forgive those we trusted who were not.

     The next thing is, we look for them.…the safe people we can trust. According to Cloud and Townsend, in their book Safe People, “The best example of a safe person is found in Jesus. In Him were found three qualities of a safe person: dwelling, grace, and truth. Dwelling refers to someone’s ability to connect with us. Grace is ‘unmerited favor’ meaning that someone is on our side, that they are for us. Truth implies honesty, being real with one another and living out the truth of God.”

     Sometimes we have difficulty, because of past abuse and traumas, discerning who safe people are. We have a Safe People class at Plumbline, taught by Margo Hanne, that I strongly encourage taking. It will help you determine what safe people are and aren’t.

     Keep hope alive my friends. There are safe people walking amongst us who would be delighted to be in relationship with you. Ask God and look for them. He will show you.