Confidence or trust is the third and crowning element of faith. Confidence is the sinner's placing of total trust in the Christ of whom he has received knowledge and in the gospel way of salvation with which he has been led to agree. Trust is the sinner's total surrendering unto Christ, trusting all in His Word and promise. Faith believes that God in Christ is who He says He is in His Word - a God who delights in showing mercy.

Some English botanists once visited Switzerland to collect rare mountain flowers. Looking over a precipice they saw some rare plants about twenty feet (six metres) below.

The botanists turned to a young boy who had been watching them and said, "Boy, let us tie a rope around your waist and lower you to the ledge below. After digging up two plants we will pull you up again. We will pay you for your trouble."

The boy answered, "I will do it." But he ran down the mountain to the valley below.

Soon he returned with a man. "Sirs," he stated, "this is my father. If you will let him hold the rope, I will go down and get the plants for you."

How does this story illustrate the element of trust found in faith? In the experience of true saving faith, how does a sinner trustingly place his entire life in God's hand and Word?

Trusting in God is a very beautiful and precious element of faith. Childlike trust produces childlike rest. A young child tells and rests all his troubles with his loving father, trusting in his father's love, knowledge, and strength. So a child of God, in faith, may bring all his troubles and experience peaceful rest in placing them into the hands of His heavenly Father. In so doing, he trusts God's love, knowledge, and power.

No peace, rest, or joy that the world can offer compares to that experienced by those who savingly trust the living God! This is true both in temporal and eternal matters, as the following stories illustrate.

Explain how trusting faith is both honoring to God and comforting to the true believer.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.

- Isaiah 26:3

Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.

- Psalm 32:10