“Trust me. I promise.” How many times have I heard, or even uttered this phrase? Why is it we have to convince someone to trust us, or, why do we need to be convinced? Trust is easily broken and hard to win back. Why? I believe, trust is evidence based. We choose to trust based on what we have experienced. According to Character First, truthfulness, or being trustworthy is “the act of earning future trust by accurately reporting past facts.” We choose to trust someone based on what we know about them. What does their track record look like? Is it spotless, or does it look like a rap sheet? However, we’ve all been hurt by people that we’ve chosen to give our trust to again. I think we do this in part, because we know their heart.
How does God fit into this and how can we grow in our trust of him? You might feel like it’s really hard to trust God because you can’t see him. Or, like me, you’ve faced the unthinkable, you’ve survived the unimaginable, and you ask yourself, “How can I trust a God who would allow that level of evil to exist?” One of the beautiful things about God is that we can come to him with questions like that, with doubt. He wants you, he wants me, to come just as we are, asking him, “Why? Help me trust you. Help me see you.”
I believe when we come before God, truly seeking to know his heart, he is honored by our request and certainly will answer. But the answer doesn’t always come as we would like. Or as quickly. So, how does this work? Is there a magic formula, or a prayer to say? Jesus tells us to ask, seek, and knock, then the door will be opened (Matthew 7:7-8). For me, this is a matter of the posture of my heart. A humble recognition that I don’t know, that God does, and choosing to trust by coming to him with a heart that says, “This is hard; I don’t know, would you help me?” (ask). It is a humble search of his word to see his character, not scouring the pages to prove a point, but laying down our thought process to discover his heart (seek). And waiting for him to reveal to you who he is, what his plan is (knock). I often find myself saying during these types of prayers, “Help my unbelief!” God is never caught off guard or offended when we come to him asking to see. This process of spending time in the Word to see God builds trust. It is seeing the accurate portrayal of facts that builds future trust. God has given us an amazing, perfect piece of evidence of his love, his holiness, and his mercy and grace.
The Bible is an entire book of promises made and promises kept. Perfectly. No changed minds or fingers crossed behind his back. No “I didn’t mean it that way…” God’s Word is proof to us that he is worthy of our trust. But, we have to use it. We don’t grow in trust just from having Bibles in our home, or even by just attending church on Sunday, though this is very important. Think of it like going to the gym. If I go out and get a gym membership and never use it, I won’t get stronger. If I go meet with a trainer once a week, but don’t do anything they instruct me to do, I may feel like I am getting stronger, but I’m really not. It’s only when I start to actively participate and follow the wisdom of the trainer that I will build strength. Trust is like a muscle. It has to be tested, challenged to be strengthened and grow. Trust and faith are intertwined. We use our knowledge of God from his word as evidence that we can trust him. God doesn’t change, nor does he lie (Numbers 23:19, Hebrews 13:8, James 1:17).
Trusting God feels hard because we live in a fallen world. Because we have been lied to by Satan that God is not good, that we cannot trust him (Genesis 3:1-5, John 8:44, 2 Corinthians 11:3). We have a choice. Every day. I have a choice to make, will I trust God, or will I choose to believe, against all the evidence God has given me in his perfect word, or that it is me who knows best? Infinite, all-knowing God vs. finite, limited Sarah? I’d like to think I always choose the former. But sometimes my arguments are really convincing. And I believe the lie, I choose based on feeling, or emotion, rather than rooting myself in the truth. But, God is always good. He doesn’t leave me, he doesn’t throw his hands up and walk away, frustrated that I did it again, even though I break his trust. He forgives. And I stand righteous, holy and pure, blameless before him through Jesus. He loves me. Praise God!
Join me, will you? Ask yourself, who am I trusting? Anything other than God will disappoint. Maybe not today, but eventually. Trusting God is not easy. We have an enemy whose purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy. He does that by wrecking our trust in God. We must choose to trust, even when we cannot see (Hebrews 11:1). God is the perfect father. He has given us everything we need to know. We have to trust him with the rest. We must fight the “need to know” with the contentment that comes from knowing the one who does. This is a journey. But God is gracious. He accepts you where you are. But he wants you to grow. Dive into the Word. Right where you are. You don’t have to figure anything out first. Talk with God about your trust, or lack of it. Spend time getting to know him by reading about his character. You will not be disappointed.
The Psalms are a wonderful place to begin, or the Gospels. Jesus is the exact imprint of the nature of God (Hebrews 1:3). If you want to know God, spend time studying Jesus. Remember, God is for you. He wants to be known by you. As you seek to grow in the knowledge of him, your trust grows naturally, you won’t have to force it. Yes, there are times when we are called to step out in faith, when we don’t see and it is terrifying. But, it is our trust in who God is that carries us. Press in. Trust allows us, in the moment of doubt, to make the decision to press in. To remember who God is. Knowing who he is allows us to take steps of faith, to go where we would never have gone on our own. He has gone before you, he made the way. He is worthy of your trust. All of it.
About Sarah Glassett:
I am a wife. Mother of two beautiful girls, inside and out. I am passionate about loyalty and authenticity. I love quiet moments, gardening, good books, and the beach. Laughter is of the utmost importance. I am always learning.
I love to share how the love of Jesus has made me brave.
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