“It will be okay. Just trust God,” I have heard a million times.
What does that person mean?
Do they mean…”Don’t worry. Just wait. God loves you and He will do exactly what you want Him to.”
Or do they mean….”It doesn’t matter what you do. God will do whatever He wants and you can’t do anything about it. Life is super hard.”
Does trusting God mean ignoring the cold hard facts or denying your emotions?
The Facts
I believe that trusting God includes looking the facts straight in the eye. If you are facing a health challenge, it is real and it is a challenge. If you have had a relationship break down, that is heartbreaking emotionally. If you have a financial need, that is hard.
But, trust looks at some other facts too!
God is powerful. He made everything out of nothing. He rules the world. The Lord answers our prayers and intervenes in the affairs of mankind. Nothing is impossible with God! And with God, all things are possible.
Jesus loves us enough that He took on our sin and punishment on the cross so we receive forgiveness, mercy, and grace! That is love! For those who know Him, we have peace with God in spite of our sin nature. In fact, we have a new nature that wants to please the Lord.
Those are the facts too.
Putting All The Facts Together
So, trust involves looking at the facts of who we are and what challenges we face. In addition, we look at the facts of who God is and how much He loves us. We also look at the promises of God knowing they are all Yes and Amen in Christ Jesus! Wow!
The facts about God trump the facts about ourselves and our circumstances! In other words, you may have real issues that are impossible, but when you look at the facts about God, your issues go from impossible to possible and the solutions even go to probable!
Applying Facts to Your Circumstances
Okay, you might agree with me that God is loving and powerful. You might also agree that His promises are super-amazing! But, you wonder if He is trustworthy?
Yes, I know. Trusting anyone, even the Creator of the Universe is scary.
That is why it is so important to read the Bible and fellowship. When we read the Word, we learn the Truth! However, Scripture is even more powerful than we can imagine. It actually transforms us from the inside out! Wow! That’s amazing. We also learn that faith comes from hearing the Word of God.
Fellowship allows us to be encouraged by other believers who have also faced hardships and come out the other side. Testimonies of answered prayers and miracles battle the doubts in our minds.
When I am facing a mountain, I do the prudent things that need to be done. I’m not foolhardy. But, more importantly, I cry out to God in prayer, asking for Him to intervene in my life and circumstances. He is my hope!
Activating Trust
Prayer in faith is the way we activate our trust.
Trusting God is about looking at the facts and acting accordingly. Maybe I’m in a pickle. Or I am facing an impossible situation. There’s only one hope for a miracle–the Lord God Himself. Nothing is too big or too little for Him!
So, I dust off those promises and say them out loud. I follow God’s formula in Philippians 4 to bring all my worries and anxious thoughts to the Lord in prayer with thanksgiving. I thank Him for who He is and all He has done in my life. I thank Him for the opportunity in my life right now to step out in faith and trust Him. I pour out my heart tell Him my fears and worries and ask for Him to intervene. I tell Him how I would like Him to handle the situation, but I also remember that His thoughts are above mine and so I trust Him to do what is best for me. I don’t stop praying until I see Him answer prayer!
Do things always turn out the way I hope they will?
No.
Yet, whenever they don’t, I surrender to Him and wait. He always does something that surprises me, even in the most horrible circumstances.
Because, you see, in all these difficult, horrible circumstances, I have learned that God is trustworthy even when He does something different than I would like Him to.
How About You?
What about you? Are you facing a mountain? Are you scared? Are you sick or needing financial provision?
How about thanking God for who He is and all He has done, pouring your worries out to Him in prayer, and continuing to do both things until He comes through?
Don’t give up! Keep praying! You are loved! God is trustworthy!
Have you ever given your heart to the Lord and experienced His forgiveness, mercy, and grace? If not, I have Good News for you! You can read all about it here: The Good News!
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine up you and give you peace. May the Lord level the mountains in your life!
Love,
Meredith Curtis
