In 1942, more than 250,000 Jews were transported by the Nazis from Warsaw to the death camp in Treblinka, Poland. Most of these Jews were killed. A social worker named Irena Sendler, however, posed as a nurse to get into the Warsaw ghetto and rescue children. She managed to smuggle more than 2,500 to safety. In hopes of reuniting the children with their families after the war concluded, she hid the children’s names in two jars buried under an apple tree.

We can only imagine the terror as parents handed their children to a stranger. “Can you guarantee that they will live?” a mother would frantically ask. “No,” Irena would answer, “but if they stay here I guarantee that they will die.” Then, Irena offered these solemn words: “You shouldn’t trust me. But what else can you do?”

This story highlights Irena’s tenacious courage, but it also sheds light on the horrific dilemma the parents faced. All of us ask ourselves this question when times of trouble come: Who can I trust?

Scripture tells us over and over again that we can trust God with our life and with our future. All of the idols of this world “will completely disappear” (Isaiah 2:18). Human beings, even with the best of intentions, are still “frail as breath,” and we can give only our limited, flawed effort (Isaiah 2:22). Irena, even in her immense courage, knew what she couldn’t promise. She would do her best to save the children, even at the risk of her own life. But it was possible that it wouldn’t be enough.

God, who “rises to shake the earth” (Isaiah 2:19), is the only One who holds the whole world in His hands. He’s the only One we can trust all the time.

NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Mark 1:16-39