Trust God

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It’s no mistake that during one of the toughest seasons of my life, I’ve been on this journey to understand what it truly means to trust God. I found myself in a situation where I couldn’t find anyone to trust with my weakness. In my darkest hour, I couldn’t bring myself to trust even the people who I know had good intentions. I was alone and all I could do was trust God.  Believers say “Trust God”  when your situation is “above you” and out of your control. In saying it, I’ve never heard anyone explain how to do it though. Is it prayer, fasting, consecration, being still? How do you and God know that you’re actively trusting in Him?

Trust is one of those abstract words like love, confidence, sadness, etc. Everyone has a different way of expressing it. Trust by definition is to rely on a person’s or thing’s ability, strength or integrity. For instance, when you sit down, you trust that the chair will not collapse but that it will support you. And when you do the trust fall, you lean back, believing that the people behind you will catch you and not allow you to fall flat on your back.

Nowadays, trusting people is a difficult task. Many of us have a small group of people that we feel we can actually rely on when it counts. Maybe you’ve tried to confide in someone and your business ended up in another conversation. That can be devastating in the midst of an already difficult situation. I hate to say it, but trusting people can be hit or miss. There may never be a time when you’re completely safe with someone. That’s kind of scary…

Enters God.

We are encouraged to trust in God in several scriptures. The Bible says to obey and honor many people, including your parents and spiritual leaders, but as far as I can tell, trust is primarily to be placed in God. There are certainly benefits to trusting people, but the amount of trust we try to place in people can damage our dependence on God. God will lead us to meaningful relationships where we can place a healthy amount of trust in others. The truth is people can only do so much for you, even when you do trust them. Ultimately, you have to go to the one who is the most trustworthy.

The How

Trusting God requires that you know him. Our claim as believers hinges on whether we trust that God is who He says he is. There’s a scripture that says that faith comes by hearing, and hearing the word of God. If you’re unsure how to trust God, reading about him is a great place to start. There are several scriptures that describe who God is and how he interacts with humanity. It may also help to hear the testimonies of trusting God from the people you know.

I have found that this trust isn’t as action packed as I thought. Relying on someone or something, is less of an action and more of a demonstration of a mental move. I’ve found that trust is a kind of yielding. In a situation that feels out of control, trusting God brings about peace in that chaotic situation and says “I believe everything will be alright, even if I can’t fix it myself.”

Help! I’m a control freak

This is a real thing! I struggle with fear of the unknown. At times, I find myself tip toeing toward the future, solely because I don’t always know what to expect. When what you had planned begins to fall apart, you tend to stop moving forward until you can plainly see what is before you. But when you trust God, you can confidently move forward, trusting God to establish your new place. 

Help! I’m a fixer

It may be difficult for you to be still while things are chaotic in your life. You may move too quickly and try to change things so that the pain, the frustration, or that in between feeling doesn’t last too long. Trusting God eliminates the hasty decisions we make trying to calm life’s storms ourselves. Trusting God requires humility and acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty over your life. 

Trusting is a process

You need not be perfect along this journey of trust, the objective is to believe. Trust seems to be established in the midst of our tribulations. They present an opportunity for us to see the faithfulness and sovereignty of God. It’s hard to really know that someone is trustworthy without being placed in the circumstance that requires you to trust them. Seeing things work out in someone else’s life may give you the gall to try God, but only your experience with God will produce trust in Him.