Editor’s note: “The Spoken Word” is shared by Lloyd Newell each Sunday during the weekly Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square broadcast. This is an encore performance of “Music & the Spoken Word” with a new “Spoken Word” selected and recorded while the choir is practicing social distancing. This will be given Sunday, May 16, 2021.
“In God we trust” is the national motto of the United States of America. Those four words, found on coins and bills, buildings and license plates, remind us of our ultimate source of confidence and security, peace and prosperity. That’s a healthy reminder because our natural habit is to trust ourselves — our own limited views and limited strength. When that fails, as it often does, it’s comforting to know that a loving, trustworthy God neither slumbers nor sleeps as He watches over us (see Psalms 121:4). That doesn’t mean life will be easy, but we can trust that the future is in God’s hands and will be filled with evidence of His goodness and grace.
If we want to reach that kind of assurance, trust in God must be more than a motto, more than a bumper sticker. For many people today, however, trusting is hard. We live in such a distrustful world, where trust has been fractured so often that some decide that the only one they can trust is themselves.
Of course, it’s true that not everyone can be trusted, and we must be wise and discerning when granting anyone our trust. Even so, we also know that every meaningful relationship is built on trust. Without trust, our relationships are superficial and empty. Yes, trust can be damaged and destroyed, but thankfully, it can also be created. And when it has been broken, it can even be restored with patience and sincere effort over time.
So maybe the best way to make the world a more trusting place is to be more trustworthy ourselves. We can all strive to be more reliable and truthful in everything we do. If past experiences have made us hesitant to trust others, we can seek out and hold fast to that which is trustworthy. And if we need a place to start, we can return to an old, familiar motto and remember that there is One who will never forsake us, One whose integrity is perfect and unchanging, One who is worthy of our trust.
Tuning in …
The “Music & the Spoken Word” broadcast is available on KSL-TV, KSL Radio 1160AM/102.7FM, KSL.com, BYUtv, BYUradio, Dish and DirecTV, SiriusXM Radio (Ch. 143), thetabernaclechoir.org, YouTube and Amazon Alexa (must enable skill). The program is aired live on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. MST on many of these outlets. Look up broadcast information by state and city at musicandthespokenword.com/viewers-listeners/airing-schedules.
