Wickedness and Trust
Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him (Psalm 32:10).
What do you believe is the opposite of wickedness? Until recently, I would have said righteousness. But according to Psalm 32, the opposite of wickedness is trust. Scripture contrasts the people without God—the wicked—with the people who trust in God. On occasion, these trusting ones are called righteous, but their righteousness does not come from anything they have, done; it comes from God himself.
This theme runs throughout the Old Testament. Salvation comes to those who trust God. We do not have to wait until the New Testament to find the doctrine of justification by faith. Are you trusting God to provide for your every need? For your loved ones, your future, your finances? In order to be surrounded by God’s unfailing love, you must trust him in all areas of life, all the days of your life. The opposite of trust is not simply anxiety; it is wickedness.
—Dennis Kinslaw
This Day with the Master
Proverbs 24:19-20 declares, “Be not envious of the wicked, for the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.” With this in mind, consider the importance—not to mention the practical application—of the point this devotional read points out: the opposite of wicked is not righteousness, but rather trust. If it were righteousness, our hopes would rest on our ability to be good, righteous, and worthy of God’s favor. But because the opposite is trust, our burden is to rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ, in faith believing that He is indeed the remedy for sin and the merit for our salvation! This is a matter of putting our lives—and the lives of our loved ones, our futures and our very lives—confidently in His hands, “all the days of our lives.” This is my heart’s prayer for you today; that you discover this great truth: As Jesus said, “It is finished!” and this means “it is well with my soul.”—DH
—David Hoskins, Founder & Care Guide, Sanctuary Clinics