When someone says to you, “Trust me,” it probably raises 2 things right away: your eyebrows and your suspicion. Sometimes it’s really difficult to trust people you do know, so what do you do when you don’t know how to trust God?
Why Trust God?
It could be a little pointless to talk about the how or the what without a reason why. So why should you trust God, anyway? Most simply, because He loves you. God’s love for you and me isn’t anything like how we love one another.
Our love for other people is either affectionate, familial, enduring, or romantic. God’s love, however is selfless and eternal. You’ve heard that called agape love and that means God loves you with no strings attached and there’s nothing you can do to change that. So that’s one good reason to trust God. He loves you like no one else is capable.
Another reason to trust God is because He is holy. That means he is worthy of your trust.
For the word of the Lord holds true, and we can trust everything he does.
Psalm 33:4
And finally, you should trust God because He is our only source of hope. The one true, unbreakable love that never fails is that of God’s love and that is something you can put your trust in.
No matter how trustworthy I am, or how well proven your best friend has been in your life, the truth is humans are going to let you down. It’s inevitable and quite honestly just a part of our nature. I’m going to fail you at some point, but where we are weak, God is strong.
I consider myself to be a person who can be counted on, no doubt about it. But I’ve also done my share of not coming through when I was supposed to.
I have had my moments of being unreliable, unpredictable, and I have dropped the ball. Even when I have had the best of intentions and my motives were right, at the end of the day I’m still a sinful man and I just miss the mark.
Except God doesn’t miss. Ever.
God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
Numbers 23:19
Getting Real With God
Here’s the obvious statement of the day: to trust God, you need to have faith.
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Hebrews 11:6
The not so obvious and more messy part of that requires getting real with God. That means a little more digging and a lot of honesty. Take King David for example. Here’s a guy of whom even God said was “a man after my own heart.” But how many times throughout the Old Testament do we see David crying out to God in complete despair?
How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
Psalm 13:1
We need to learn from David and become more transparent with God. We need to learn to be ok with asking God things like, “Lord! Are you seeing my situation? Where are you in my mess?” When we can truly and entirely lean on God like this, He will prove Himself.
That’s when we can begin to comprehend the words of the hymnist Louisa M.R. Stead (1850-1917):
‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, and to take him at his word; just to rest upon his promise, and to know, “Thus saith the Lord.” Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him! How I’ve proved him o’er and o’er! Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! O for grace to trust him more!
What To Do When You Don’t Know How to Trust God
My wife and I are entering into our 10th year of supported ministry. We’re frequently told, “I could never do what you’re doing!” Actually, neither can we without putting our trust in God. And even though we’ve barely scratched the surface, we have learned a few things about trusting God. Here are some practical steps for those times when you need to trust God and just don’t know how.
- Prayer is your lifeline. With prayer, your faith grows stronger and without it you’ll become an anxious mess. Without prayer, you cannot stay focused on God and realize His presence in your life.
- Read the Bible. Especially Psalms and the Gospel of John. Psalms is where you figure out how to interact with God, John’s Gospel is where you learn why you can and should.
- Involve others. The Christian life isn’t supposed to be lived alone. That’s why He gave us fellow believers, people who can lean on each other, support each other, and most importantly pray for each other.
- Sabbath rest. Don’t neglect your downtime. Unplug and restore because if you’re constantly switched on you’re going to crash. This is infinitely more dangerous if you’re in one of those seasons when you’re learning to trust God more.
God has really been showing me lately just how much I need to trust Him. Everything needs to be laid at His feet. He’s been guiding me through illnesses, finances, new ministry, trials, and even death. In every single situation He has come through. To the point where I see it is pointless to worry. His mercies astound me.
Thank you Natalie! His mercy truly is amazing. I experience it and yet it’s still somewhat incomprehensible! We are also in a deep season of having once again to trust Him, and especially His timing. I’m thankful to hear His guidance is present in your trials and I’m excited to see where He leads you in 2017.
Very nice article. Thank you.
Hi Anne, thank you for the encouraging comment, and thanks for checking out this article!
Greetings, Gene. I read your response to the question, “When you don’t know how to trust God.” I was wondering what you meant by Sabbath Rest. I agree, and this is an important topic to me. Do you believe in the seventh-day sabbath or something else? I hope you don’t mind the question. I’m just not used to people mentioning that. Thanks for your response.
Hey Eric, great question for clarity on the Sabbath rest. I’m definitely not suggesting that it’s sinful if a certain day of the week isn’t specified as a day of rest.
For many people, that day of rest and downtime is Saturday or Sunday and they often include corporate worship into their day. That’s excellent because the day of rest is a day to honor and include the Lord.
For those in full time, part time, or lay ministry, it’s definitely not going to be Sunday because that’s a full day of preparation and labor. Believe me, Sunday is very tiring for those serving in ministry!
My intent is to encourage others to just take 1 day out of 7 to rest. It’s important to have 1 day of downtime whether it’s the same day each week, or if you have to be flexible and choose a different day, as long as it’s a day set aside to be refreshed and to honor God.
Gene, you definitely shared some good points in this post, especially with prayer and reading the Bible. I would even go further to say that trust is the result of an intimate relationship with God. You will truly trust God and have faith when you know him personally from spending time with Him. Why? Because you can’t trust someone you don’t know very well. The more we spend time in His presence, the more we come to know of His goodness and love towards us, which establishes our trust in Him.
HI Valentyn, yeah you really made a great point here in knowing God better to trust Him more. There is no other way to do that than as you’ve said, spending time with Him. I really appreciate the truth you shared, “…you can’t trust someone you don’t know very well.” Thank you for that!
I find it difficult to trust God in certain areas, from my rage at how powerless I am to help those I love and how Every Single Time I try to get closer to God, Something is thrown at me to shake my world. I don’t care about this virus cuz, frankly, it hasn’t shattered my world. What I hate is that Each Time I seem to make progress in my life and in walking with, and Trying to have faith in, God, I’m stabbed in the back again. I feel betrayed for desiring the things of heaven, like being surrounded by people who care for me (as opposed to something like a high-paying job or fame), cuz it’s like Satan uses Every opportunity to tell me I’ll Never have it. I was severely isolated and abused so I haven’t gone through what others have by my age, who are Used to the random things life throws at them, but I want to be safe and protected and face these things at my own pace, not to dawdle or stall, but cuz I don’t yet have the unwavering faith and wits/wisdom of others to deal with all sorts of shady people and situations. I don’t make stupid choices like others cuz I listened to those who’ve been there done that, but every time I Think I’ve finally found a friend or home, I’m betrayed and have to wander again. Is it too much to ask for a home and loving people? I don’t expect them to be flawless, but I Do expect them to not hurt me after going through 20 years of severe psychological torment that would drive most people to drugs, sex and alcohol. And saying others got it worse does Not help me where I am in my Own particular situation.
I don’t choose to go after the wrong crowd or desires, but I’m So confused. I’d just like a haven to call my own, with people who love me and who I can help in return instead of Always feeling like an outsider and an outlier from people and their years of established relationships–I have Nothing. I Want to love somebody fiercely and be able to count on them and know they won’t betray or harm me like my tormenter(s) did, but each time I’m only disappointed. I help them amd they don’t do the same for me, cuz I’m not that important to them or I’m just used as a means to an end, or I’m abandoned when they see I’m not following Their selfish program.
I can’t take the time right now to write something that may make a little more sense, but each time my hopes are up and I start to have build confidence in myself and believe in God, something shatters it. I don’t know How others who’ve gone through far worse can deal with it, but usually they were born and raised normally like everybody else–used to all the chaos and uncertainty of life cuz they’ve either got a family to Always rely on Or they learned by their Own sttength to survive. I’ve had neither, and apparently it’s selfish to ask for protection from horrible things so I can get stronger and Truly feel ready and capable to face evil and have Total faith/trist in God, but I don’t want my innocent yearnings to be taken away from me again. I only feel rage and hatred and betrayal and depression when I’m cornered and unable to fight back again, and that helplessness threatens to turn into despair, which doesn’t happen cuz I just become like a desert, feeling nothing but having no life thriving either. Cuz it’s like I’m not Allowed to because others Have gone through far worse, but that Still doesn’t help me where I am, and I’m powerless and don’t want whatever little dreams I still have to be destroyed too.
Hi Gene,
I cannot find a way to trust God. If you only knew the story of my life. So many traumas in my life that I’m unable to count, though I’ve done everything in my power with more zeal than anyone I know, all turn to dirt and further trauma. I have been all over the Christian world searching for God. Looking for His presence in my life. I have prayed whole-heartedly for Him to come to my rescue. To show me His love. To provide for me according to His promises. And all I see is emptiness and hopelessness. I recognize that I am incapable of my own salvation in this life and beyond, but I cannot rest in a God who I feel is not willing to deliver on His own promises. I don’t know where to turn. Yes, faith, but how when, at my core, I believe He has failed me in my moments of greatest need.