“Trust me,” the Lord says.

“I do!” we answer.  But we don’t.  Not really.

Oh, in theory we do.  We think we do.  We certainly intend to; we want to!  In heartfelt words we will attest to our trust in our God.  And to some degree we do lean on the Lord. 

But our actions, our thoughts, our anxiety and our worries betray us.  Our tossing and turning in bed at night and our frantic efforts in the day tell a different tale.  True trust shows itself in mellow minds, peaceful hearts, and calm demeanors.  Those attributes don’t apply to many of us … at least not all the time.  Probably not even most of the time.

Totally trusting God is so difficult to do!

Trusting God doesn’t come naturally.  And especially in this world roiling in uncertainties!  If  we only knew in advance how the Lord would handle the situations in our life, we could relax – we would “trust.”  But knowing the answers in advance is not trust.  Rather, trust is knowing that the Lord will provide the answers … even when they are still hidden.

Not many of us excel at true trust.

There are several significant reasons we struggle to rely completely on the Lord’s provision and protection.  First of all, we are physical creatures existing in a physical world.  Consequently, relying upon a spiritual and unseen God to handle events in this physical world is challenging for us.

Secondly, we tend to desire control over the factors influencing our lives.  (After all, only we truly understand what we need and what needs to be done!)  Abdicating that control to God on crucial matters is … difficult.  (Even if he is God!)

The Bible actually provides a lengthy list of things in which people place their trust, but should not.  Specifics mentioned are nations, the number and might of their soldiers and weaponry (Is. 31:1), and their fortified cities (Jer. 5:17).  Leaders or any humans are poor choices as well (Ps. 118:8-9).  Nor should anyone trust in themselves (Ps. 49:13), in their personal wealth (Ps. 49:6) or their personal accomplishments (Dan. 4:30-31).  And certainly no one should place their trust in false gods (Is. 42:17).  Repeatedly these focuses of trust are shown to be empty, and ultimately to lead to destruction.

And repeatedly, the Scriptures urge us to trust in the almighty, all-knowing, and filled-with-love-for-us God, and assure us God will work everything out.  Solomon the Wise urges us, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

God’s message to us is, “Trust me!  I created the cosmos in all of its vastness and complexity; I am everywhere and know everything; I control all things.  I have already blessed you abundantly.  And, most importantly of all, I love you so much that I provided for your greatest need by sending my own Son to save you!  So why wouldn’t I care for all your other needs?  (Romans 8:32).  I am worthy of your trust.”

To which we reply, “I want to trust your better and more, Lord!  I need to trust you better and more!  How can I grow in this area?

I’ll offer a few suggestions that might foster greater trust:

1. Examine God’s Word and recognize God’s wonderful promises to provide for you (which are impossible for him to break! – Hebrews 6:18), his encouragements (commands actually) to trust him, and his promises to follow through for you.

2. Realize that all of the Bible is actually one huge training session on trusting God.  His demonstrations of his power, his examples of caring for his people, and his encouragements to his people to trust him, reverberate throughout Scriptures pages.  Faithfully read God’s Word and you will read repeatedly of God’s faithfulness.  The more you read, the more you will trust.

3. Look back on your life and note how wonderfully the Lord has cared for you, guided you, and worked everything out for you to this point.  Especially those times when you seriously wondered what God was doing, only to discover later he absolutely knew!

4. Deliberately pause and take note, mentally and perhaps even physically in a journal, of every new time God works matters out for you yet again.

5. Discuss God’s faithful care with your family or Christian friends. This reemphasizes the truth to you, and shares the truth with them.  Then listen to how the Lord’s faithfulness has impacted their lives as well!

6. Make a “Trusting God” playlist on your iPod or phone, and fill it with songs that remind you that our God is trustworthy. (Mine is 163 songs!  That’s 10 hours and 46 minutes of music about relying on Him!)  Play it when you are struggling to lean on the Lord.

7. Instead of hashing and rehashing situations in your mind, strive to develop mental and spiritual toughness. Deliberately turn the matter over to your God in confidence, and refuse to anxiously dwell on it in your thoughts.  “Give it to God … and don’t grab it back again!”  Then relax and let him handle things.  He is thoroughly capable!

“Trust me,” our loving Lord tells us.  And in both the Old and New Testaments, he describes the blessings he brings us when we do!

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal” (Isaiah 26:3-4).

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).