“Trust the Lord with all your heart” – Easy peasy, right? Wrong!! God is the omnipotent creator of the universe, He raised His own son from the grave, so why is it so hard to trust Him?
I have my own ideas, but I would much prefer to hear with the Bible has to say about it. Let’s check out a few scriptures on trusting God:
Difficulties Trusting in God
Unrelinquished Control
This one really hit home when my husband, Bruce, and I decided that we were ready to start our family. We waited about a year and a half after we were married, and then made the step toward removing any birth control from the equation. In our minds, we would be pregnant within the first couple of months and we couldn’t wait!
Unfortunately, pregnancy is one of those crazy life phenomena that you absolutely cannot control. After about a year of tests, charts, and tears, we finally went the route of medicinal assistance and were blessed with our beautiful daughter.
Even though we were not exactly following the Lord at that time, He taught us so much about who truly has control in this life.
Whether it is that you are trying to get pregnant, or that you are having to trust Him with a loved one’s salvation, at some point we all need to learn the lesson of “let go and let God”.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. Proverbs 3:5-7
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!
Psalm 37:4-7
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. James 1:22-25
Past Hurts
When we’ve been burned before, letting go of the past can be really difficult. Nobody likes to feel deep hurt or rejection. Choosing to open yourself up to that possibility again is a really scary place to be in. But God does not let your pain go to waste. And if you have to go through it again, He will be with you through it every step of the way.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:15-16
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:9-10
The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. Nahum 1:7
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Anxiety/Fear
I have a few that I am very close to who are plagued with chronic anxiety. Living this way is no laughing matter, and can be crippling at times. But God desires something different for you. There are many anxiety Bible verses, but these are some of my favorite:
But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Isaiah 43:1-3a
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8
But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”; fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:8-10
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Matthew 6:25-34
The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:5b-7
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Lacking Faith in the Intangible
Trusting in Someone you cannot see is hard for some to get past. Especially in our current culture, where we are all so suspicious of anything requiring “belief”, we look for proof of what we are being taught. And unfortunately, this isn’t something I can talk you into. I could go on and on listing all the ways I have seen God work in my life, but without experiencing Him for yourself, the evidence in my own life might seem more like random coincidence to you.
All I can do is pray that your heart would be opened to all that God has for you. The greatest (and sometimes hardest) step of faith is simply trusting that the Bible is true. Once you take that leap, everything else will begin to make sense, and His hand will be obvious in everything around you.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright. Psalm 20:7-8
Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
the Lord answered me and set me free.
The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
The Lord is on my side as my helper;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.
Psalm 118:5-9
How to Trust in the Lord
So all those verses are all fine and good, but trust just isn’t that easy, right!? For my husband, who struggles with severe anxiety at times, they feel flippant. Well, the Bible has some good insight on how to go about trusting in God. One thing I can say is that it is not an immediate process. But you’ve got to start somewhere.
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. Psalm 91:1-2,4,11
You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.
Isaiah 26:3
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. Romans 10:17
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Psalm 34:8
The steps to trusting in the Lord are simple:
- Seek refuge and rest in Him
- Keep your mind fixed on Him
- Hear His word
- Experience His goodness
What does this mean in layman’s terms? Talk to Him daily and read His word. Get to know His heart intimately. How can you expect to trust somebody you don’t know? You can’t. It isn’t possible. Get to know His heart and give Him a chance to earn your trust. You’ll see…He won’t let you down.
Blessed be the Lord! For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. Psalm28:6-7
