“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God,” (Psalm 20:7).

What exactly does that verse mean? This verse is juxtaposing trusting in things we perceive as powerful here on earth with trusting the name of the Lord.

What does it mean to trust “the name of the Lord”?

The word translated “name” in that verse means, “honor, authority, character, renown.” Aha! So to trust in God’s name is to trust in His character.

To Moses God Himself defined His own name:

“Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.’ So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped,” (Exodus 34:5-8).

God defined Himself as merciful, gracious, abounding in goodness and truth. These are trustworthy character traits! As you can see, this passage alone could be a whole Bible study! This isn’t the only Scripture that defines God’s nature. The Bible is filled with such descriptions!

“Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides,” (Psalm 119:90).

“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; mercy and truth go before Your face,” (Psalm 89:14).

“But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared . . .” (Titus 3:4).

It’s all about the character of God and the fact that because of His character, He is trustworthy. And it is vitally important to Him that we trust Him, that we consider Him trustworthy and act on that conviction repeatedly through our life. Scripture is filled with exhortations to trust Him or confessions of trust in Him.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths,” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

“And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You,” (Psalm 9:10).

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing [aka trusting], that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit,” (Romans 15:13).

Today, I challenge you to meditate on trusting God because of His character and love for you. Then, choose to trust Him, ask Him for His help to trust Him through any and every challenging circumstance in your life. It means knowing, even when circumstances seem to defy this truth, that God knows what is happening to you and will pull it all together for the very best in your life (Romans 8:28).