- May 11, 2020
- 5 min read

Trusting God: When it is Difficult

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:31-34

Trust: a firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something

Trust is necessary in any relationship especially in our relationship with God. I remember doing trust falls in grade school and always fearing that whoever was behind me was not going to catch me. Some of my closest friends at the time would get so offended and ask, “Don’t you trust me?”. Sometimes I feel that is what God is asking us… While we sing and talk about how much we trust God the reality is we do not always practice that very trust we claim to have in God. When things get hard it is easy to focus on the situation and try to alleviate it, oftentimes relying on ourselves (or others) instead of relying on God.

The reality is, when life gets tough it is easy to forget to put our trust in God. It is easy to trust God when you do not have expectations for something, or it seems impossible for something to not work in your favor. However, it is when your expectations are not met, and everything seems to be working against you that some may find themselves questioning their trust in God. In my life, I have found that I equated God working in my life with things “going well”. As a result, whenever something did not go my way I assumed there was something that I had done wrong and that I needed to fix it. Not once did I take the time to ask God what He may have been trying to teach me or protect me from. I was too focused on my self-perceived failure. The need to have control of the situation made it difficult for me to see that just like I trusted God when things went well, I needed to trust Him when things seemed to be spiraling out of control.

As mentioned in Proverbs, trusting God requires that we do not lean on our own understanding. This means we must sometimes let go of our will when it is not aligned with where God has called us to be. More often than not I have learned that doing this usually means things will not always go my way. It has been a long and continuous journey of learning how to let God take the reins. It has not been easy, but it has been worth it. God knows exactly what we need when and how we need it. In addition to that, He knows what others need and how to make all of that work together for His glory and for the good of those who love them (that’s us)! If you are anything like me and love to have every detail of your life organized and planned out, then fully trusting God no matter what is something you will have to intentionally strive for every day. This can be an extremely uncomfortable process. Why, because trusting in Him is not just a thought it is an action. This means you may have to trust God and not go to that place you always dreamed of or you may have to step out and do something you selfishly said you would never do to protect your image (a.k.a. pride).

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Photo by Anthony Tran on Unsplash

However, letting go and trusting in God will make your life better than you could have ever imagined.

There are so many things that we are searching for that only He can truly provide, and how can He truly provide for us if we will not trust Him enough to do it? In my journey of fully trusting in God with not only my words, but with my actions, I have found a peace that I never enjoyed when relying on myself or others. This does not mean that every time God calls me to trust in Him I am super excited to let my go of my pride or expectations (still working on this). However, I know who He is and that His intentions are always good even when I am unsure of what is going to happen next. With that I feel more at peace knowing that He has everything under control.

I have also seen this improve my relationships with others. Being that my expectations are in God and not in other people or things my approach to certain situations has changed. When I am hurt or disappointed by what someone else has said or done instead of being distraught, I am more inclined to show them grace. While I may lose trust in a person, because my foundation is in God my world is not destroyed when others do not meet my expectations. Putting your trust in others can strain relationships because at some point people are going to fall short, it is inevitable. Yes, there should still be trust in your relationships with others, but you should always be mindful of where your foundation is.

With all that being said I want to leave you all with some sermons that have really helped me grow in trusting God during this season of my life. If you ever find yourself struggling to trust God remember Proverbs 3:5-6 and Matthew 6:31-34. God is the only one who can fully provide for us, we just have to trust that He can do it. This means being active when He speaks to us and letting go of other sources of trust that cannot fulfill us. True trust in God can bring a new level of peace in all areas of our life including our relationships. It is not an easy journey, but it can be done and is so worth it!

Sermons you may enjoy! Until next time!

Crazy Faith Series – Transformation Church

Flip the Bag – Elevation Church (Pastor Steven Furtick talks about trusting God and acting on what He has given us)