“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it” (Isa. 30:21).
Can I trust this person? is a big question.
The more we feel pressured, internally or externally, to give a definitive answer, the riskier the outcome will feel.
How can you know that someone who has broken your trust is now at a place to be responsible with your trust? It will take time.
The bigger the betrayal that took place, the longer the repair will take.
How can you know if a new person in your life is trustworthy? That will also take time.
How do you know you can trust yourself to properly discern trustworthiness when you’ve gotten it wrong before or were made to feel crazy for asking questions when things didn’t make sense?
Again, it will all take time.
But time itself isn’t enough. You see building or rebuilding trust requires a combination of three things:
- Time,
- Believable behavior
- A track record of trustworthiness.
Taking baby steps allows for all three of those things to happen.
In my own life, I knew if I was going to be able to reengage with people who had broken my trust in the past or if I was going to consider a new relationship, it wasn’t going to happen overnight. I also knew if I was going to learn to trust my own ability to have wise discernment and reestablish my confidence to hear from the Lord, it would need to happen slowly. Isaiah 30:19–21 has been such a comfort for me as I’ve started taking baby steps toward trust:
“People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.”
The principle of these verses is that God does respond to us when we cry out to him. The “right and left” mentioned mean, as long as you stay within the will and command of God, you’re headed in his direction and you’re going to hear him. He will guide you. In other words, the goal is to live a life of congruity where our life lines up with God’s Word.
But what about the slowness of this whole trust process? What about how painful it can be in the waiting to see if someone is trustworthy or not?
The historical context of these verses gives me great comfort in the face of these understandable questions. Isaiah was addressing the Israelites in a season of waiting. The idea is that waiting can be lonely, and at times we can feel defeated. Waiting can also make us feel incredibly anxious when there are so many unknowns.
But remember this: Whenever we are waiting on God, we are actually waiting with God. The fact that the Teacher is behind us brings to mind the nearness of God.
When I asked my friend Dr. Joel Muddamalle about these verses, he said, “The attentive nature of the follower of God who desires to be led by God is important here. The New Testament develops this further with the concept of the Spirit-filled life of believers. We are led by the Spirit not based on our own ambition but by the vision and direction of God” (Gal. 5:16–25 and John 16:13).
And if we get it wrong by turning left or right outside of God’s will? When this takes place, God will call out and get us back on track. One of the things that is often overlooked is the fact that Isaiah didn’t expect perfection. He assumed there would be moments of error, times when we would go astray—but when that happens, as long as our hearts are willing to receive correction, we can be sure God will redirect us.
Friend, whatever baby steps would look like building or rebuilding trust for you, I pray you cling to the God who is right there with you.