Trusting in God
I was speaking with a friend the other day, and while discussing the timing of God’s answer to prayer in her life I said, “We just need to trust in God”. I was trying to encourage her as well and remind myself what we should do while waiting for God’s timing to come to pass, but I found myself using that phrase as a quick “spiritual response”. The Holy Spirit later convicted me that I used this phrase too casually, even though it was my intention to try to encourage someone in their time of need. It became default instead of deeply sincere. While encouraging other believers is always a God honoring act of service, the question I asked myself was in my heart am I convinced that what I am speaking I am believing regarding trusting God. It caused me to continue pondering the question “Am I really even trusting God in my current circumstances?” I was wrestling with this question because I recently found myself becoming anxious in a certain situation and dabbling in doubt about the outcome that God would bring to pass. However, the Holy Spirit would not let me get away with allowing myself to displace examining my heart and wanting to look deeper into what it really means to trust in God. Not just think it with head knowledge, and know it is something I should do, but in my heart how to truly go about trusting in God with unwavering confidence in His ability to always be trustworthy. And it dawned on me where I was missing it. I was trusting God as if I were trusting in a human. People will fail you. God never will!
This reminds me of an incident in 8th grade when a classmate thought pulling the chair out from under me while I was attempting to sit at my desk would be funny. It wasn’t funny! I ended up breaking my tailbone. I highlight this example to show how many times this is how we may think of trusting in God. As if He were human. Our mind looks at a chair and knows with certainty that if it is properly made, with no mechanical problems, it will hold us up when we sit in it. That is, however, unless someone unbeknownst to us, pulls it away, and we fall onto the floor enduring pain. God will never, metaphorically speaking, pull the chair out from under us. That is not in His nature. His nature is to securely hold me fast, no matter what we are going through (Psalm 139:9). Sadly, many times we treat God as if we can’t trust Him and what His Word says.
The Word reminds us that trusting God is what we should be doing in every situation (Psalm 62:8). When wrestling with the issue of trust, we first need to go to the Word, which is where we glean the knowledge and wisdom of His beautiful, divine insight.
One of my all-time favorite verses in the Bible is “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). This is one of those verses that we may have memorized as a child or see a post with a pretty background picture as we scroll through our social media feed. We sometimes tend to glaze by the depth of its meaning. But when we purposefully stop and meditate on this verse, it brings about such a sense of peace when we go to the Father for answers and understanding, and try not to figure things out solely with our minds. This personally gives me much relief, since I am aware that I definitely don’t know it all! My understanding is faulty and limited, but God’s understanding is limitless. I don’t see the big picture, but God does. When I put my trust in the Lord He will give me insight and understanding regarding the situation I am dealing with. By placing my confidence in Him fear and doubt begin to fade, and a hope that He will bring the answer lifts my spirit. There is a positive outcome when God’s children are trusting in Him “And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you” (Psalm 9:10). Our part is to trust in God and seek Him, and he has promised never to leave us. What a great promise! Even though there are times when God may seem silent he has not abandoned us. On the contrary, he is working behind the scenes to show that He will work on your behalf (Isaiah 64:4).
Trusting God is a daily habit that we need to develop because one day does not look like the next. Some days may appear to be the same in function, but conversations, interactions, and situations with people will most likely vary. When we trust God in our circumstances, we release that person or problem into His compassionate and steadfast care for us (Psalm 28:7).
Along with trusting in God, timing is a crucial element in the trust process. While we trust, sometimes answers come immediately, but we are often left waiting for the answer that remedy the situation. Know that God immediately answers your prayers, but sometimes the outcome does not manifest itself at that moment. There may be many things in the unseen realm, which we are unaware of, that need to take place in order to accomplish His will in the answer. One example in the Bible is found in 2 Corinthians 4:18 “As we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are temporary, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” When we remember that God is the God of the eternal, all that he is doing in your life, and the life of others, has an eternal impact. This is why the more we trust in God, and keep the concept of eternity in mind, the easier it will be to trust what he wants to accomplish in a particular circumstance.
A good example of this is in Daniel 10:12-13. The first day Daniel sought the Lord He heard him, but the answer was delayed by things that were happening in the unseen realm. However, the answer did reach Daniel. Timing was very significant in this passage as it shows there are a multitude of things working behind the scenes that we are unaware of.
Trusting in God also grows us up and matures us in Christ. During the waiting period, when we are trusting God a good reminder is Psalm 27:13-14 “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”. What a wonderful reminder for us to not lose heart, and know that God will take care of us and will sustain us (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).
In the Hebrew language, trust is the word Bitachon which means “to lean on, feel safe or be confident”. In Hebrew scriptures this word carries deep spiritual meaning. It refers to being a rock, which points us back to Jesus being our everlasting rock (Isaiah 26:4). Since I was a child, I have always been fascinated with lighthouses. They all possess interesting designs and coloring, are solid and secure, have unique spiral staircases, and have a beautiful coastal view when you reach the top. Lighthouses are built on rocks, rocky cliffs, or other stable foundations. Sailors of both small and large vessels still seek out and rely on a lighthouse to warn them of a dangerous coastline, reefs, sandbars, and shallow areas of water. What a marvelous parallel to how God operates in our lives. He gives us His light and hope, he shows us things from His point of view on how to handle the twists and turns in life, and His wisdom and direction for us are always built on a solid rock. We can trust our Heavenly Father, relinquish control, and rely on Him to guide us safely to the answers to our problems.
Rejoice in the Lord that He will never let you down, and know He always has a good plan for your life (Romans 8:28) as we continue to love Him more and more in our daily walk. I encourage you to ponder the wonderful truths in God’s Word, as you trust him through various circumstances.