In Whom Should We Trust?
2 Nephi 22:2 answers with a single, unshakable center: we trust in the Lord Jehovah because He is our salvation, our strength, and our song.
“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation.”
1. Trust
Where Our Confidence Rests
In whom should we trust?
This verse answers by shifting our weight off ourselves and onto God Himself. Trust is not optimism, self‑talk, or emotional hype — it is the decision to anchor our confidence in the One who saves us. We trust because He is our salvation, not because we feel strong.
Scripture reinforces this pattern:
“How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.” “They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.”
• Psalm 36:7–8 shows that God’s lovingkindness is so precious that we “put our trust under the shadow of [His] wings,” finding abundance and refuge in His presence. Trust is not abstract — it is shelter.
“I say unto you, if ye have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men; and also, the atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his trust in the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life, I mean the life of the mortal body—”
• Mosiah 4:6 teaches that as we come to know God’s goodness and His matchless power, we naturally trust Him, because His mercy and promises are sure.
“And thus we can behold how false, and also the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men; yea, we can see that the Lord in his great infinite goodness doth bless and prosper those who put their trust in him.”
• Helaman 12:1 reminds us that when we prosper, we often forget the Lord — not because He is unfaithful, but because we drift. Trust calls us back to reality: God is the One who blesses, sustains, and delivers.
Together, these witnesses show that trust is not a feeling we generate — it is a placement of confidence in the God who has already proven Himself faithful.
Why This Matters
Trust determines the direction of our courage. When our trust is in God, fear loses its authority over us. We stop trying to manufacture strength and instead rest under His wings, rely on His mercy, and remember His sustaining hand.
We trust in God because He alone carries the power to save, sustain, and deliver us. Every other source of confidence eventually collapses. God never does.
How We Apply It
We practice trust by handing God the places where we feel weakest, most uncertain, or most overwhelmed — and refusing to let fear define our response. We choose to remember His goodness, rely on His mercy, and rest in His sustaining hand.
2. Jehovah
The Identity of the One We Trust
The verse names Him directly: Jehovah — the covenant God, the God who is and who acts. We are not trusting a vague spiritual force or an abstract idea. We trust the God who binds Himself to His people with promises He keeps.
Scripture clarifies this identity:
“The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.”
• Exodus 15:2 declares, “The LORD is my strength and song, and He is become my salvation,” revealing that Jehovah is not distant — He is the One who steps in, saves, strengthens, and gives His people a song. Trust is anchored in a God who acts.
“That men may know that thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the most high over all the earth.”
• Psalm 83:18 proclaims that Jehovah alone is the Most High over all the earth, establishing His supremacy, His covenant name, and His unmatched authority. Trust is not guesswork — it is allegiance to the One who reigns.
Together, these witnesses show that when we say “Jehovah,” we are naming the God who rescues, rules, remembers, and remains faithful.
Why This Matters
Trust is only as strong as the One we trust. Because Jehovah is faithful, our trust is not fragile. His character does not shift with our circumstances, and His covenant does not weaken under pressure.
We trust in Jehovah because His character is unchanging and His covenant is sure. Every promise He makes stands. Every word He speaks holds. Every act He performs reveals His steadfast nature.
How We Apply It
We remind ourselves who He is — faithful, present, unshakeable — especially when our circumstances feel unstable. We rehearse His name, His works, and His covenant until our hearts remember that the One we trust has never failed His people.
Because the principle for this section is “Jehovah Jesus Christ,” we anchor it with the minimum essential witnesses that unmistakably identify Jehovah as the premortal Christ — the God who covenants, creates, speaks, saves, and stands alone as Redeemer.
These are the clearest, most doctrinally concentrated texts from the Topical Guide list:
Essential Witnesses
- Exodus 3:14 — “I AM THAT I AM.” Jesus later identifies Himself with this same divine name (John 8:58), revealing that the One who spoke from the burning bush is the Christ.
- Isaiah 43:11 — “Beside me there is no saviour.” Since Jesus is the Savior, this verse identifies the Savior as Jehovah Himself.
- Isaiah 12:2 — “The Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.” The very language Nephi quotes in 2 Nephi 22:2 — directly tying Jehovah to the saving work of Christ.
- Mosiah 3:5 — “The Lord Omnipotent … shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay.” Jehovah, the Omnipotent God, is the One who becomes Jesus Christ in mortality.
- D&C 110:3 — “The voice of Jehovah” is heard in the temple as the resurrected Christ appears. The revelation explicitly identifies the risen Jesus as Jehovah.
- Abraham 1:16 — “My name is Jehovah.” The premortal Christ speaks in the first person, declaring His covenant name.
Why These Witnesses Matter
These passages establish that:
- The God who covenanted with Abraham is Christ.
- The God who declared “I AM” is Christ.
- The only Savior named in Isaiah is Christ, therefore Jehovah is Christ.
- The Omnipotent God who would take on flesh is Christ.
- The resurrected Lord who appeared in the Kirtland Temple is Jehovah.
- The premortal God who revealed Himself to Abraham is Christ.
This means our trust is not in an abstract deity but in Jesus Christ Himself — the covenant‑keeping God of Israel, the Creator, the Redeemer, the Eternal Judge, the One who speaks, saves, and stands with His people.
This deepens the entire section: Trust is strong because the One we trust is Jesus Christ — Jehovah — the God whose covenant cannot fail.
3. Strength
Why We Don’t Have to Fear
We trust God because He becomes our strength, not because we already possess it. Our courage is not self‑generated; it is received.
Scripture consistently teaches that strength is not something we muster — it is something God gives.
Why This Matters
Fear thrives when we think everything depends on us. Strength returns when we remember everything depends on Him.
We trust in God because He supplies the strength we lack.
How We Apply It
We face challenges by leaning into His strength rather than our own limits — praying, yielding, and acting in dependence rather than self‑reliance.
From the full Topical Guide list "Strength", these are the minimum essential witnesses — the clearest, most doctrinally weight‑bearing scriptures that show God Himself is the source of our strength, and that human strength alone is insufficient.
Essential Witnesses
- Exodus 15:2 — “The LORD is my strength.” Strength is not internal; it is relational. God becomes what we lack.
- 1 Samuel 2:9 — “By strength shall no man prevail.” Human effort alone cannot carry us through divine assignments or spiritual battles.
- Isaiah 40:31 — “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.” Strength is renewed, not manufactured. It comes through waiting, trusting, and depending.
- 2 Corinthians 12:9 — “My strength is made perfect in weakness.” God’s power is most visible when our power is most absent.
- Mosiah 9:17 — “In the strength of the Lord did we go forth.” Deliverance, progress, and victory come through His strength, not ours.
- Alma 26:12 — “In his strength I can do all things.” The Book of Mormon’s clearest declaration that divine strength enables divine work.
Why These Witnesses Matter
These passages reveal a single, unified truth:
God never asks us to be strong on our own. He supplies the strength, renews it, perfects it, and channels it through our weakness.
This means:
- We do not fear our limits — God works through them.
- We do not fear our weakness — God fills it.
- We do not fear our insufficiency — God becomes our sufficiency.
- We do not fear the task — God provides the strength to accomplish it.
Strength is not a requirement for trusting God; it is the result of trusting God.
4. Song
What Trust Produces in Us
Calling God our “song” means He becomes the source of our joy, our hope, and our worship. Trust doesn’t just remove fear — it restores praise.
Why This Matters
When God becomes our song, our inner life shifts from anxiety to gratitude, from dread to delight. Worship becomes the natural overflow of deliverance.
We trust in God because He turns our deliverance into joy.
How We Apply It
We let worship become our response to His faithfulness — singing, praying, and remembering His goodness even before the outcome arrives.
From the full Topical Guide list "Singing, Sing, Sang, Sung", these are the minimum essential witnesses — the clearest, most doctrinally weight‑bearing scriptures showing that God’s saving work produces singing, and that praise is the fruit of trust.
Essential Witnesses
- Exodus 15:1 — “Then sang Moses.” The first great song of scripture erupts immediately after deliverance. Salvation produces singing.
- Psalm 40:3 — “He hath put a new song in my mouth.” God Himself places the song in us — worship is His gift, not our achievement.
- Psalm 96:1 — “Sing unto the Lord, all the earth.” Singing is not optional or cultural — it is the universal response of creation to its Redeemer.
- Isaiah 12:2 / 2 Nephi 22:2 — “Jehovah is my strength and my song.” The very verse you are expounding: God becomes our song because He becomes our salvation.
- Isaiah 35:10 — “They shall come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy.” Redemption leads to rejoicing; the journey home is marked by singing.
- Alma 5:26 — “Have ye experienced this mighty change … and can ye feel so now? … Have ye sung the song of redeeming love?” The “song” is not merely musical — it is the lived testimony of a redeemed heart.
- D&C 25:12 — “The song of the righteous is a prayer unto me.” Singing becomes communion with God — worship as intercession, gratitude, and covenant loyalty.
Why These Witnesses Matter
These passages reveal a unified truth:
When God saves, His people sing. Worship is not an accessory to faith — it is the evidence of deliverance.
This means:
- Singing is a spiritual reflex to God’s intervention.
- Praise is the public proof that trust has taken root.
- Joy is not postponed until after the miracle — it begins the moment trust is placed in God.
- Worship becomes the soundtrack of a redeemed life.
God does not just remove fear — He replaces it with a song.
We trust in the Lord Jehovah, because:
- He is our salvation (not merely the giver of it).
- He becomes our strength when we are weak.
- He becomes our song when fear would silence us.
Trust is not a feeling — it is our covenant response to the God who saves us.
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