How Can I Trust the Lord?

At first that sounds great! Of course I’ll trust in Him, He’s God, right? But what is trust and how do I go about trusting Him?

If you’ve ever had these thoughts, please know that you are not alone. We are surrounded by a world that warns us to take care of ourselves because no one can be trusted. Of course, I beg to differ, but let’s examine the word trust first.

What Is Trust?

To trust is to place your confidence in someone else, to rely on them. It’s resting in the idea that you are cared for because you can sense the integrity, truthfulness and even the friendship of another person (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary).

Interestingly, true relationships, even among humans, need to be based on trust if they are to thrive.

Is God Worthy of My Trust?

The answers to this are yes and yes! He not only created our whole world as described in Genesis 1 & 2; He created each of us with unique, specific purposes to fit into His overarching plans.

Ps. 139 tells us that even before we were born, he had written all our days in His book (v. 16). He can and does see every minute of our day-to-day lives. Truly He is so far above us in His infinite mind.

Moreover, He keeps everything going on this planet, so there is no such thing as a coincidence. We can’t see into the future, but since He is omniscient, He can see all our days set before Him.

Why Is Trust So Difficult?

Maybe because my trust has been so violated by other imperfect humans, even our parents in some cases, so I try to lean on my own understanding of the circumstances before me.

Yet, Father God is our good, good father. Sure, there are times He disciplines us and allows things to happen for our ultimate good, but His motives are always pure.

It may take some time, both in prayer and in reading the Bible, but there is no one else we can rely on no matter what happens.

Our Lord is faithful!

God’s Promise to Guide Us

Then there is the promise in the last two lines of this Bible passage (Prov.3:6). If we’ll take our eyes off our circumstances and seek His will even in the hard times, with a thankful heart, He promises to “make your paths straight” (NASB).

• New Living Translation: “He will show you which path to take,”
• The Message Bible: “He’s the one to keep us on track.”

So, if I can learn to trust Him, then He’ll stay close by through it all. This is not the only verse that asserts this idea.

Hebrews 13:5b quotes a passage from Deuteronomy 31:6 that says He’ll never leave us or give up on us, and Ps. 23: 4 tells us that He’ll even stay close when we feel like the world is coming to an end.

He wants to settle us with His peace (Phil.4: 6-7), even as a loved one is facing death.

He is worthy of our trust in all circumstances.

Learning to Trust Him

Trust needs to be earned, and that can happen as we draw closer to Him through reading the Bible, praying and listening for His quiet voice. He is willing to prove Himself trustworthy even in the smallest challenges.

So, yes, we can trust Him, and it’s all right to take the time to do so, but without that trust we miss so much opportunity to make Him our refuge and get His guidance for our lives.

As for me, I will trust Him because He’s always been faithful.