Engage in a ‘transformational trust,’ Brown preaches

Even in the face of uncertain times, Christians must be characterized by a “transformational trust” in the Lord, said Robert Brown, executive director of Lakeway Christian Schools in Morristown, Tennessee, during his chapel sermon at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, April 14.

“How we choose to live and how we choose to conduct ourselves will be driven, at least in part, by our resolve to engage in this transformational trust,” Brown said.

Brown earned his Master of Divinity from Southwestern Seminary and now serves as a member of the seminary’s board of trustees, a role that includes serving as chairman of the Committee for Institutional Advancement. 

In his chapel message, Brown first presented the case for one’s need to wholly trust in the Lord. Personal and cultural circumstances often produce times of uncertainty and great stress, he said.

“We have seen the institutional and financial stresses that have been forced upon our seminary here at Southwestern,” Brown reflected. He expressed his gratitude to Southwestern Seminary President Adam W. Greenway as he has addressed those concerns and “trusted the Lord throughout those experiences that have been placed upon him in the early years of his tenure.”

Although stress and uncertainty are inevitable experiences, Brown said, the Christian’s response must be rooted in trust in the Lord. This trust, he added, is not transactional but rooted in a knowledge of and relationship with a God who knows the future. 

Directing attention to Psalm 37, Brown articulated that one can walk in a singular understanding: “The focus is really upon trust in the Lord. Delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

“The fact is, the psalmist writes that we are to trust the Lord in the midst of uncertainty; trust the Lord in the midst of turmoil,” Brown said. “Trusting others is made possible by the fact that we are trusting God first and foremost above all others.”

This “transformational trust” causes one to view circumstances and people differently, Brown added. 

Directing his comments to Southwestern Seminary and Scarborough College students, Brown encouraged them to be confident that God has a plan for their life, even if they cannot fathom the destination.

“There is a journey that is unknown while we walk, but it is a journey filled with meaning and purpose from a God who knows all,” Brown said.

“Our ways cannot be determined by the world,” Brown said. “Our ways cannot be determined by what is happening around us. And certainly, our means can never be justified if those means involve the means and ways of the world. That is why he says, ‘commit your way to the Lord’ (v. 5).”

Brown concluded that such a trust involves and requires surrender, and that transformation comes when one’s singular focus is taken off circumstances and directed to the work of the Lord.

“Southwestern Seminary is experiencing a rejuvenation and a revitalization of coming back to that which has always been our heart’s desire,” Brown said. “That is to see the Gospel take across Tarrant County and around the world.”