The Tokens of the Trusting - Pastor Stacey Shiflett
- Pastor Shiflett
- May 10
- 5 min read
The Tokens of the Trusting
Psalm 31
Intro: Show me a person that truly trusts God, and I’ll show you a life that bears unmistakable marks.
There will be some clear evidences that cannot be hidden.
Psalm 31 is not just a prayer in distress; it is a portrait of a man whose confidence is anchored in God alone.
These tokens reveal what trust really looks like when it is lived out.
A person that is living a life of biblical trust is:
I. Particular in their Focus
· 1 In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.
· 6 I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the LORD.
· 14 But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my God.
The trusting believer is marked by a settled, singular focus.
David does not say, I trust in the Lord and…
For David, there were no additions, no alternatives, no backup plans.
His confidence is not divided.
It is decisive.
Trust in God is always exclusive before it is effective.
A divided heart produces a double mind, and a double mind produces instability.
But the man who is fixed on God becomes fixed in life.
· Psalms 112:7 He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.
Notice that his circumstances may shake, but his confidence does not.
Bad news does not produce panic because his heart is already anchored.
Trust does not eliminate storms, but rather it anchors the soul in the storms.
He rejects the false shelters and refuges that most people run to.
He does not trust himself.
· Proverbs 28:26 He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.
Feelings are fickle. Our judgment is flawed.
The trusting believer understands that self-confidence is often spiritual deception.
He does not lean on his own unreliable understanding, but on God’s unchanging truth.
He does not trust in man.
· Jeremiah 17:5 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.
Human strength is limited, inconsistent, and temporary.
When a man leans on man, he is leaning on something that will eventually give way.
Trusting God means refusing to make flesh your foundation.
He does not trust in riches.
· Proverbs 11:28 He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.
Wealth promises security, but cannot guarantee stability.
It can vanish overnight.
The trusting believer understands that what he has is not his hope, but God is.
The token here is clear: a trusting person has a focused heart.
God is not part of their trust; He is the object of it.
A person that is living a life of biblical trust is:
II. Protected from their Foes
David’s trust is not a theory, but it has been tested.
Psalm 31 reveals enemies, traps, slander, and persecution.
Yet in every verse is a confidence that God intervenes, delivers, and defends.
· 2 Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me.
· 3 For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.
God is described as a rock, a fortress, a house of defense.
These are declarations of security in God’s divine protection.
A rock that does not move.
A fortress that does not collapse.
A defense that does not fail.
The trusting believer lives with the awareness that God is always guarding his life.
· 4 Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength.
The enemy works secretly, setting traps unseen.
But nothing laid in secrecy escapes the notice of God.
What the enemy conceals, God reveals.
What the enemy intends for harm, God overrules.
· 5 Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.
This is the language of complete surrender.
His life is not in his own keeping; it is placed in the hand of God.
That hand is not only powerful, but faithful and true.
· 15 My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.
What a statement of confidence! “My times are in thy hand.”
Not some of his life, not parts of it, but all his times.
The trusting believer rests in the sovereignty of God over every season, every trial, and every threat.
· 17 Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave.
· 18 Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.
Slander, accusations, and false words are real weapons—but they are not final weapons.
God has the last word.
Truth will outlive lies, and righteousness will outlast reproach.
The token here is unmistakable: a trusting person lives under divine protection.
Not that they are untouched by trouble—but they are never abandoned in it.
A person that is living a life of biblical trust is:
III. Preserved in their Faithfulness
Trust in God does not just deliver from danger—it develops endurance.
It produces a life that continues, remains, and stands.
· 23 O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.
God preserves the faithful.
That word preserveth means guarding, keeping, maintaining.
The trusting believer is sustained by God through every pressure that would otherwise wear him down.
Faithfulness is not sustained by human effort; it is sustained by divine enabling.
· Psalms 86:2 Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.
Notice the connection: preservation is tied to trust.
The one who trusts God is the one God keeps.
This does not mean perfection—it means perseverance.
Trust produces consistency. It produces stability.
It produces a life that does not quit when things get hard.
The trusting believer continues to love God, serve God, and walk with God, even when the pressure is on, because God is preserving him in the process.
Conclusion: The tokens of the trusting are not hidden.
They are visible:
A focused heart that rests in God alone.
A protected life that is guarded by God’s hand.
A faithful walk that is preserved by God’s power.
Trust is not what you say; it is what you do.
