At the foundation of any worldview is the connection of personal trust to the source upon which we build our lives. The direction and source to which we posture our heart’s trust determines the nature of our lives because a worldview flows from that, and a worldview shapes our lives.

There are many different sources upon which we can place our trust and base our worldview. Each of these sources offers varying qualities of life because the worldviews built upon them provide a range of strengths and weaknesses.

A scientific worldview places trust in objective data and the scientific method. Facts can change but only in accordance with the processes prescribed within that worldview. A scientific worldview is rewarding when we discuss things that can be observed, measured, and tested but stumbles with the more profound things of life such as faith, hope, and love.

A nationalist worldview places trust in interpretations of history, national greatness, and military might. A nationalist worldview offers great reward when a nation or empire is at its peak but terrible insecurity when that same nation or empire is in decline.

In a Kingdom Worldview, trust is placed upon the Lord alone. Everything else in life is subject to question and change, but God Almighty is definite, dependable, and the source for all we know is true. The book of Proverbs defines this posture.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

Proverbs 3:5 (ESV)

The word trust in this verse comes from the Hebrew word batah. It means to place dependence, be secure or confident. This posture for life means God defines our reality – even when other sources contest that reality. Our dependence, confidence, and security rest upon God.

This worldview in which trust is built upon God alone is foundational for life in the Kingdom of God. In Matthew 5-7, when Jesus described the nature of life in the Kingdom of God, an unchallenged trust in God stood as the underlying reality that upholds this new way of life He introduced to the world.

The poor in spirit could take hold of the Kingdom of heaven because they did not find any value in the things of this world. Those who hungered and thirst for righteousness could expect fulfillment in the Kingdom of God because they knew nothing in this world could compare. The experience of persecution did not defeat the people of the Kingdom because nothing in this world could touch their true treasure.

When Peter walked on water, he defied a trust in physics and the laws of this earthly dimension. When the lame and the blind came to Jesus for healing, they realized the resources of this world were bankrupt, and only trust in God could heal their lives. When the woman caught in the act of adultery accepted Jesus’s forgiveness, that miraculous reality only worked when she placed her whole trust in Him despite what tradition and culture told her.

All around us today, deficient worldviews are crumbling. People have placed their trust in things of this world that are failing, and the collapse of those confidences present enormous pain to the human heart. Frequently, these misplaced confidences have been established unconsciously. People do not realize they put their trust in the wrong sources.

Today is a day when that into which we place our confidence should be double-checked. Are we trusting in God, or have we put our hope in some world-based source?

Trust in the LORD with all your heart;

do not depend on your own understanding.

Seek his will in all you do,

and he will show you which path to take.

Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.

Instead, fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

Then you will have healing for your body

and strength for your bones.

Proverbs 3:5-8 (NLT)