Suspicion and Trust

The Voice of Zion October 2025 - Editorial --

On the wilderness journey, God’s people had daily reminders of His care: manna in the morning, water from the rock, a guiding pillar of cloud and fire. Yet they often murmured, doubting whether God’s way was good. Their fear and lack of trust took many forms: distrust of Moses’ leadership, longing for Egypt, or rash attempts to secure victory by their own strength. However different the expression, the root was the same: a lack of faith that leaned on human understanding instead of God’s promises. 

We are not so different. In every age, believers are tempted to murmur in their own ways. Sometimes we are drawn to anxious speculations about the world around us, stories that promise hidden knowledge or expose perceived dangers. At other times, we may rely too much on our wealth, health, or strength. Still others place confidence in human wisdom or clever arguments. These forms may differ, but the danger is alike: the restless desire to be in control rather than to trust the Father’s care. 

Scripture urges us to turn from such self-reliance: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Prov. 3:5,6). Christ Himself quiets our fears: “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). 

Martin Luther, too, spoke against anxious striving. “God is not served by our anxious thoughts, but by our faith” (WA 10/3, 252). In his Small Catechism he taught: “We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.” He knew how easily the human heart tries to “help” God by adding its own plans, or by resting in perceived knowledge. Yet the true service God desires is simple trust in His promises. 

We can also be tempted to a sense of a special duty – as if seeing dangers others do not gives us a spiritual task, or as if guarding the kingdom rests on our watchfulness. But the apostle reminds us that “the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient” (2 Tim. 2:24). Christ has not called us to live in suspicion, but to live as children who rest secure in His victory. 

When we encounter one another in fear or doubt, we needn’t argue. Rather, we can encourage faith. Like a parent calming a child who fears the monster under the bed, we remind one another: “Your Father is here. He keeps watch. You are safe.” Sometimes the most powerful witness is quiet confidence in God’s rule. 

The armor God gives us is not suspicion, but gifts we receive in the gospel: the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6). With these we are not called to delve into every rumor, but to stand fast in Christ’s triumph. 

Israel was told to remember: the Red Sea, the manna, the covenant. We also remember: Christ crucified, risen, and reigning. The world’s shadows and troubles are real, but Christ’s victory is more real still. In Him, our restless fears are exchanged for peace. “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matt. 28:20).