“Trust, but verify.” When Ronald Reagan was preparing to meet with the Russians in 1984, he wanted to understand more about Russian culture and the way he could expect Russians would approach negotiations during the most tense times of the Cold War. He enlisted the help of historian Suzanne Massie who spent time with President Reagan at the White House teaching him about the religious and social culture in Russia. One of the things she taught him was an old Russian proverb: Trust, but verify.
When President Reagan met with Mikhail Gorbachev during one of the many summits during the Cold War, he invoked the proverb and the use made its way into foreign policy discussions ever since. There have been many challenges to this approach to negotiations – particularly as it is invoked in family conflicts or other more interpersonal negotiations.
The invitation to the disciples to trust in God was a difficult one. Trust the rabbi who has no power. Trust the wandering messenger who lives among the poor. Trust the man who breaks the laws of the church. Trust the man who is being crucified. Trust the man whose body is hidden away in a tomb behind a large stone. They did not have the luxury to trust, but verify.
I wonder, sometimes, if our faith does become a “trust, but verify” relationship. Most of us are not called to give up everything and follow Jesus as the disciples did. We have the potential for our faith to be a tepid trust, one that is contingent upon the verification that will be sufficient to satisfy us. The challenge with this “trust, but verify” variety of faith in God is that when life is difficult and we are faced with struggles and pressures, we turn from God at the very time and in the moments when we need our trust in God the most.
“Trust, but verify” may still have its place in foreign policy, but when it comes to Jesus, we are called to be more like the disciples and daily return to God and trust, period.
Our lives then become a continued journey of being more tuned to see and experience God as we live our lives of faith. The good news is that we don’t do this alone – we travel with others on the journey. This fall at Pinnacle, we have so many opportunities to connect with others on the journey. I want to encourage you to look for a way to connect through a Sunday morning or Wednesday evening class, or one of our other programs throughout the week.
You can also volunteer to serve as a fellowship host, an usher, or at one of our upcoming events. These are all ways to meet others on the journey and to get to know more people with whom you’re worshipping. Any of our program staff and pastors can help you get connected!
