The world is passing through the Covid-19 pandemic and the followers of Jesus are called to trust in Him. When the disciples in the boat had met with the tempest they were terribly afraid. But Jesus asked them not to fear but instead have faith/trust in Him (cf. Mt 8:26). We renew our trust in our Lord Jesus, as he is the only Saviour of the world, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). And “nothing will be impossible with God” (Lk 1:37).
“What does it mean to trust in Jesus?” The expression trust in Jesus holds multi-layered meaning. In one sense, trusting in Jesus means believing in Him for salvation (Jn 3:16). We believe who He is—God in human form—and put our faith in Him as Saviour. And we believe what He has done—that He died for our sins and rose from the dead. Since we cannot save ourselves from sin and death (Rom 3:10–20), we trust in Jesus to save us (Jn 11:25). We cannot receive eternal life and live forever in the presence of God until we’ve trusted in Jesus as Saviour and accepted His forgiveness (Eph 1:7).
Subsequent to salvation, trusting in Jesus means committing or dedicating ourselves entirely to Him. When we are born again in baptism, we become followers of Jesus Christ. As His followers, we put complete confidence in Him and His Word. To trust in Jesus means to believe everything He said and accept His Word as true: Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (Jn 8:31–32). The more we know and abide in the words of Jesus, the more we will obey Him, and the more our confidence in Him will grow as we experience freedom in Christ.
Jesus invites all to come to Him and find rest: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Mt 11:28–30). A yoke of corona virus is on the necks of humanity. In the time when Jesus spoke these words, people were in slavery of various political powers. Now humanity is under the attack of corona virus. A time has come in which we can rest only in Jesus for whom nothing is impossible. We share this yoke of the humanity with one another and with the Lord who wants humanity to grow and develop, while the evil spirit tries to destroy it with envy, power and money.
Human weaknesses and struggles to trust in Jesus are known to Him. That is why St. Paul says, “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phi 4:6–7). When we take our anxious hearts to God in prayer, He offers us peace. His presence is peace. St. Paul does not say that God will always give us what we’re asking for, but he does promise peace to guard our hearts and minds. To trust in Jesus means to come to Him and believe He has good and trustworthy plans for our lives and our future. We don’t have to fret about tomorrow. When we trust in Jesus, He pours out His peace on us.
Our trust in Jesus grows through experience (2 Cor 1:10) as we see God working all things in our lives—both the good and bad—for His purpose (Rom 8:28). Jesus wants us to live by faith in Him (cf. 2 Cor 5:7; Gal 2:20), and so the Christian life becomes a testing and training ground in trust: “Brethren, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4). Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me” (Jn 14:1). We may know that Jesus loves us and promises always to be with us (Mt 28:20), but we can’t see Him, and, during times of trouble, doubt and fear can creep in and make it difficult to apply that knowledge.
