A New Day

 Proverbs 3:5, 6, “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.” On his march through Asia Minor, Alexander the Great fell dangerously ill. His physicians were afraid to treat him because if they did not succeed, the Macedonian army would suspect them of malpractice. Only one man, Philip the Acarnanian, was willing to take the risk, as he had confidence in both the King’s friendship and his own drugs. While the medicine was being prepared, Alexander received a letter from an enemy of Philip’s that accused the physician of having been bribed by the Persian King to poison his master. Alexander read the letter and slipped it under his pillow without showing it to anyone. When Philip entered the tent with the medicine, Alexander took the cup from him, at the same time handing Philip the letter. While the physician was reading it, Alexander calmly drank the contents of the cup. Horrified and indignant at the accusation in the letter, Philip threw himself down at the king’s bedside, but Alexander assured him he had complete confidence in his honor. After three days, the king was well enough again to appear before his army. Listen, friend, trust is not a conditional matter if it is truly trust. Trust cannot be diluted with reservation—otherwise it becomes suspicion. Alexander knew, based on the character of his friend Philip that he could be trusted regardless of what others said. Trust is still based on the integrity of one’s character. Notice our Scripture lesson today. Solomon’s words begin with, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart.” How can we? We can by virtue of God’s immutable character. God can be trusted because of His unchanging nature of love, mercy and grace—in spite of what some may falsely say about Him. Today, I hear some blame God for war, famine and disease. When, in fact, these ills are due to the depravity of man’s fallen state. God is still good. He can still be trusted. Place your life in His hands and under His control, and you will find the assurance that only faith in Him can bring, with each new day.