Friends, in today’s familiar and majestic passage, Jesus exhorts us to trust him: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me.”

So much depends on the spiritual meaning of the little word “trust.” Jeremiah the prophet laid it out as starkly and simply as possible: “Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings, who makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord.” And conversely, “Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, the Lord will be their trust.”

What does it mean to trust, to turn one’s heart to God? It means to root the whole of one’s life in God, and not to ground our concerns in the things of this world: wealth, power, pleasure, and honor.

Ask yourself: “What is the center of gravity in my life?” The Bible consistently proposes this question. For example, read the book of Joshua, when Joshua lays it on the line for the people of Israel: Do you serve the Lord or some other gods? That’s the question being asked of you today.