Opening
Trust is something that can be hard to gain and easy to lose. Have you ever worked really hard to gain the trust of a teacher, parent, coach or friend and found that trust gone in an instant because of something you said or did? Have you ever trusted someone only to end up being disappointed by him or her? You probably can answer yes to both questions. Let’s watch a clip where Angelica struggles with the issue of trust.

Watch DVD scene 18 (“A Sudden Urge to Jump”) Start time: 1:14:13—End Time: 1:18:30 (4:17)

Discussion Questions
1. In the clip, Angelica says, “Sparrow, what makes you think he will come back? We cannot trust him, Father.” Why do you think Angelica didn’t trust Captain Jack to come back? (He had disappointed her in the past.) Did you see any other examples of trust in this clip? (Captain Jack put his trust in the quartermaster when he asked him if he would survive the jump; Blackbeard had trust in Captain Jack that he would return.)

2. What makes it easy for you to trust in someone or something? (It is easy to trust in someone who hasn’t let us down in the past; with whom we have a good relationship or have known for a long time.) Why are you unable to trust some people? (They may have let us down in the past, or we haven’t known them that long.) Are you a person whom others are able to trust? (Answers will vary.)

3. What are some things in this world in which people sometimes put their trust? (Other people, themselves, power, fame, riches, possessions, money and beauty are some of the things. Proverbs 11:28 tells us that those who trust in riches will fall. Proverbs 28:26 tells us that those who trust in themselves are fools.)

4. Read Isaiah 26:4. In whom should we trust? (God.) Why? (Because He is our Rock eternal.) What normally happens when we put our trust in things other than God? (We fail; we are disappointed; or both.)

5. Read Luke 1:26-38. How can you tell from these verses that Mary put her full trust in God? (Although in verse 34 Mary didn’t understand how she could be with child and give birth to Jesus as she was a virgin, she showed great trust in God when in verse 38 she said, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as You have said.”) Who are some other people in the Bible who showed great trust in God during tough times in their lives? (Noah as he built the ark; David had to trust in God as he prepared to battle Goliath; Joseph had to trust that God had a plan for his life when he was sold into slavery and ended up in jail.)

6. Read Psalms 119:42 and Psalms 52:8. In which things, besides God, should you put your trust? (God’s Word and His love.)

7. Is it easy or hard for you to trust in God, His Word and His love? (Answers will vary.) Why is it hard for you at times to trust fully in God, His Word and His love? (Answers will vary.)

8. Read Proverbs 3:5-6; Proverbs 28:25; and Psalms 32:10. According to these verses, what are some of the results of trusting in God? (Prov. 3 says if we trust in Him, He will guide us in the right way; Prov. 28 says those who trust in the Lord will prosper; Ps. 32 says God’s love will surround those who trust in Him.) Based on your life experiences, what are some of the results of trusting in yourself or things of this world instead of God? (Answers will vary but may include: pain, heartache, disappointment, etc.)

9. Do you have complete trust in God and His power to do all things? (Answers will vary.) Why? Read Psalms 22:5. Will you ever be disappointed when trusting in the Lord? (No.)

Closing Thought
In whom or what will you put your trust? People and things of this world can be here today and gone tomorrow. When people or things you put your trust in disappear, you may start to doubt yourself and others. God said in Hebrews 13:5, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Will you trust in people or things that may disappoint you or a God who never will leave your side? There is no doubt where you should stand.

Closing Prayer
“The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him” (Nahum 1:7).

“Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord Himself, is the Rock eternal” (Isaiah 26:4).

(The Birth of Jesus Foretold)
“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.’ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of his father David, and He will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; His kingdom will never end.’ ‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’ The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.’ ‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May your word to me be fulfilled.’ Then the angel left her” (Luke 1:26-38).

“then I can answer anyone who taunts me, for I trust in Your Qord” (Psalms 119:42).

“But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever” (Psalms 52:8).

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

“The greedy stir up conflict, but those who trust in the Lord will prosper” (Proverbs 28:25).

“Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in Him” (Psalms 32:10).

“They cried to You and were saved; in You they trusted and were not disappointed” (Psalms 22:5).