It is often said that trust is earned and not given. In our culture today the most prominent relationship gurus will tell you to throw in the towel if the missing component of trust is not present in your relationship. I mean as somebody who has been in romantic and platonic relationships where trust was missing I would have to say this advice isn’t all that bad.

Have you ever been in a relationship that was void of trust? I know for me when I was in one my mind was going bananas! I would always be in my own head questioning what the other person’s intentions were and if what they were saying and doing was coming from a genuine place. I would always be worried and unstable in my emotions towards that person, which hindered my ability to love them well.

See, trust is not something that you can see with your physical eyes. It’s not something that you can put your finger on and say that you possess or don’t possess; trust just is or it isn’t.

It’s an inward knowing.
It’s an assurance.
Its a peace.

The dictionary defines trust as “firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.”

Trust is confidence.
Trust is belief.
Trust is faith.

When asked if one trusts in God, the cookie cutter, robotic, and knee-jerking answer is-

“Yes, of course!”
“Like duh.”

I mean, after all, it’s God; We are supposed to trust God. But if we are really honest there are times when the fruit of our lives springs forth from a root that isn’t anchored in Him. It’s rotten and full of worry, anxiety, and fear. We question if God really has us and then default to self-sufficiency instead of the rest which is a byproduct of true trust.

We know that we are supposed to trust in God, but what does trusting in God truly look like and how does it play out in our day-to-day lives?

How can we go from declaring we do to truly believing and being convicted by His ability to be trusted?

(Insert me waving my hand in the air like the annoying kid in class who doesn’t give anyone else a chance to answer and swears the teacher doesn’t see them HERE)

I want to attempt to answer this question.

I don’t know about you but I’m kinda nosey. I like to know the “why” behind the “what” and the “what” behind the “how”. I don’t take many things at face value and I truly respect the facts; am I the only one?

I think it’s important for us to begin tackling the question of how we can trust God by first answering 2 other questions: why can we trust God and what happens when we do?

Why God Can Be Trusted

When we think about the main ingredient to trust, one would (without a doubt) say honesty ranks supreme. It’s typically when deceit is present that trust is absent.

Among the many reasons that God can be trusted the main reason in my opinion is that He simply does not lie. Numbers 23:19 tells us something about God that we must take to heart as those who put our faith in Him.

“ God isn’t a mere man. He can’t lie. He isn’t a human being. He doesn’t change His
mind. He speaks, and then He acts. He makes a promise, and then He keeps it.”

We often make the mistake of thinking that God is like us. We try to begin and humanize Him based on the experiences and encounters that we have had with others which create the foundation of our systems of belief.

But God is not like man. He is in a class all His Own. He goes beyond our human understanding and has not an ounce of falsehood in Him. He has integrity and there is no darkness in Him.

Notice that Scripture doesn’t say “He doesn’t lie” no, it says “He cannot lie”. Lies aren’t even a part of His nature and outside of His ability to even carry out based on His Supreme Holiness.

This principle about the character of God is best displayed through the gospel itself. Before sin entered the world, God warned Adam and Eve of the consequence before they decide to rebel against God. He told them that if they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil they would surely die (Genesis 2:17).

But did Adam and Eve really die when they fell into sin? Physically, no but spiritually, yes. Mankind was separated from God (spiritually dead) just like He said because God does not lie. Shortly after this happened in the garden, God spoke again and made another promise, this time to the enemy of our souls:

“And I will put enmity between you and the women, and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15)

The moment that mankind stepped into the consequence of sin (spiritual death), God declared His plan of how He would bring humanity back to life (spiritual life) in Christ Jesus our Lord. People often wonder why Jesus had to die. After all, if God is God why couldn’t He just give us another chance?

Quick question: What do you call a judge that bends the law and doesn’t carry out justice?

We would call them corrupt.
We would call them crooked.
We would call them immoral.
We would call them untrustworthy.

People had to be separated from God because of sin and Jesus had to die to pay the penalty of the law of sin. Why? Because God does not lie.

God is not corrupt.
God is not crooked.
God is not immoral.
God is not untrustworthy.

God can be trusted because His word does not return to Him empty but it accomplishes what He sent it to do (Isaiah 55:11).

Romans 6:23 reminds us that the wages of sin is death but in God’s great love He has gifted us eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. To keep His own word, He did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all. (Romans 8:33)

So why can we trust God?

Simple. Because what God says, He will do. Period.

What Is The Result of Trusting God

Trusting in God has fruit. The fruit of trust will be evident in the life of a believer through one word: PEACE.

Biblical peace is defined as tranquility or wholeness, it’s not simply the absence of hostility or a mental state but it’s shalom which means completeness (nothing missing, nothing broken).

The prophet Isaiah describes the result of trusting in God in this way,

“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” ( Isaiah 26:3)

Notice that peace is not something we can conjure up ourselves but something that God gifts us when we put our trust in Him.

“Lord, you will grant us peace; all we have accomplished is really from you.” (Isaiah 26:12)

When we trust in God we have a healthy and reverent perspective from which all good things come. In our world we are tempted to jump on the train of self-sufficiency and carry the burden of “making it happen” but true trust in God knows from where our help comes from.

We are kept in peace because we have surrendered control to the One Who in Himself is Peace.

Anxiety is so prevalent in our generation because the pressure to produce, attain and perform is at an all-time high. We begin to look to ourselves and our own abilities to accomplish what is set before us which time and time again proves disastrous.

Have you ever found yourself trusting in your own abilities, resources, and strength?

Scripture describes this as trusting in chariots and horses when our trust should be in in the name of the Lord our God. (Psalms 20:7).

The world describes peace as the absence of chaos but biblical peace can be experienced in the midst of it. The peace that God gives is a result of us going to Him in our worry, anxiety, and fear.

Paul reminds us of this when he said:

“Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving,
let your request be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

An untrusting heart will continue to worry about things and not experience the peace that God so graciously wants to bestow upon us in Christ Jesus.

A direct result of trusting God is a deeper devotion to God. It’s carrying a joy that isn’t based on outward circumstances that change like the seasons. It’s experiencing to the fullest this promise made by Our Savior Himself:

“I am leaving you with a gift- peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27).

How To Trust God

When taking the topic of trust from a concept to an actuality in our lives, Scripture has laid it out plainly what is required of us to do. I know, we hate “doing” anything but the truth is that our faith can’t be passive; it must be active! Active faith is a fruitful faith.

I now truly understand what James was talking about when he said “faith without works is dead”(2:17). While James was talking about not meeting the tangible needs of someone in need and just telling them to go in peace; I see this same principle played out in the day-to-day of trusting God.

James was communicating that faith is more than just mere words but something that births action on the part of the one who possesses it. So this leads to the question: what action does trusting God display?

When we circle back to Isaiah 26:3 we see that a mind whose stayed on God is kept in perfect peace because he/she trusts in God.

But what does it look like to have a mind that is stayed on God? After Paul exhorts believers to be anxious for nothing he concludes in this way,

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true,
and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about these things that
are excellent and worthy of praise.” (Philippians 4:8)

A mind that is stayed on God must be intentional with its thoughts. Because of Romans 7:25 we know that we serve God with our minds and because of that we must guard them! It’s to no surprise then that we are exhorted in 2 Corinthians 10:5 to take any thought captive that is trying to exalt itself against the knowledge of God and make it obey Christ!

This is no joke friend. Trusting God is dependent on what you choose to meditate on. Will you meditate on the goodness, faithfulness, and perfect justice of God or will you meditate on your worries and your woes?

Our minds are kept on God when we fix our thoughts on what is true and only from that place is trusting God truly possible.

I want to leave you with the words of the prophet Isaiah:

“Lord, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws; our heart’s desire is to glorify your
name. In the night I search for you in the morning I earnestly seek you.” (26:8-9)

May we be found obeying His laws.
May our heart’s desire be to glorify His name.
May we search for Him in the night.
May we earnestly seek Him in the morning.

May we trust in God.