Trust in the Lord: Finding Safety in His Name

Isaiah 26:4

⁴ Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal. (NIV)

The original word for ‘trust’ in this week’s passage is ‘to hie.’ It is an ancient term that means to flee quickly for safety. The imagery is similar to another passage in Proverbs:

Proverbs 18:10

¹⁰ The name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. (NIV)

To trust the Lord, we must move into His domain. Though the Lord is omnipresent, His protection is found within the walls of His name. His name is the structure that protects us from the enemy’s attempts to destroy. Trusting is to place ourselves within the spiritual structure of His name. But what is a name?

A person’s name is a proper noun that distinguishes them from others. It represents their person. It immediately puts into the mind their characteristics, their way, their qualities, and their mode of being. To trust in God, we must place ourselves within His way, His qualities, His mode of being.

To trust in the Lord is to obey Him in behavior, attitude, aim, and purpose. It is not a feeling of trust, but a behavior. The more we lean on the Holy Spirit to help discipline ourselves to be more like Him, we are hidden in His hand. We place ourselves in the safety of His name, our Strong Tower. 

In the moments and circumstances we allow ourselves to stray from His name, we step nearer to the door to leave His protection. When we repent, we re-center ourselves in His protection. When we disregard His direction in a situation, we open ourselves up to being more vulnerable to the enemy’s attack. The more we stay centered in His way, we rest in the impenetrable Rock eternal. 

Prayer: Lord, help me flee to You. I need your protection. Without You, I am as defenseless as a lamb surrounded by ravenous beasts, but when I trust in You, no weapon formed against me shall prosper. Amen.