3 Truths to Remember When You’re Struggling to Trust God
“Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him.” Jeremiah 17:7
Sister, you may have come to this post with a heavy heart, and a burden of worry on your shoulders. Your soul may feel weary right now, and the future foggy. Amidst your troubles you know what the Bible and fellow Christians say to do… Trust God.
However, that may not be so easy for you right now. When you see other Christians seemingly overflowing with faith and hope for tomorrow, you are struggling to understand and accept your current circumstance and perhaps even wondering where God is during this time. Why has He not come through for you? Or how could He possibly even fix the mess piling up around you? Trust does not come so easily at the moment for you.
You are not alone, my friend. Every Christian has experienced their own wrestlings with trusting in God. The troubles in front of us sometimes seem to be magnified far greater than the presence of the Lord, clouding our spiritual judgment and weakening our faith.
There is much advice I could give on what you should do during times like these such as spend more time in prayer, surround yourself with your Christian community, just have faith, and much more. And while those suggestions are good and things we should be striving to do, I’d like to instead rely on something more foolproof, something that does not need our fleshly efforts to stand true: The Word of God.
If you are in a season of struggling to trust the Lord, I’d like to share three powerful and hopefully encouraging reminders with you straight from Scripture. These messages are true and steady regardless of where we are in our faith, and I believe if we plant them in our hearts with even just the smallest bit of faith then they will plant a seed and begin to grow our trust in the Lord little by little.
So, I ask you to open up your heart right now, even if it’s the smallest crack, to try and let in the Word of God. Because I truly believe the Lord will allow and nurture even the smallest pieces of your faith to eventually grow into full trust in our mighty God!
"For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20-21
His Wisdom is Greater than Our Understanding
Usually when we are struggling to trust God, we are really just doubting His abilities and knowledge. While we may not ever say it aloud, we are finding it hard to believe that God knows what He’s doing. But the Bible tells us that the exact opposite is true! The Bible explicitly tells us that we are the ones who do not know what we are doing and we cannot rely on our understanding. God is the only one with the wisdom to understand all things and how to deal with whatever circumstances may arise in our lives.
“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
“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” Romans 11:33
But the beauty of this is that God does not turn us away or look down on us for not having as much wisdom as Him. He freely and graciously offers to use His wisdom to guide our paths and clean up our messes. It may take time, it may take difficult obedience, and it may involve things you never imagined, but God can turn around whatever you have going on in this life.
And yet, His goodness does not end there. Not only does He promise to personally use His wisdom to help us, but He promises to give us His wisdom so we can take action as well. All we have to do is ask Him. So friend, if you are in a position where you just cannot fully trust the Lord with your current circumstances, start small by asking Him for wisdom. Cast off your way of looking at things and ask Him to show you through His eyes. Ask Him to show you how knowledgeable He is and to bless you with the wisdom to begin understanding your situation and you will begin to see just how trustworthy and capable our Father is.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” James 1:5
God is Faithful (Even When We Are Not)
When we’re struggling to trust in God, we may have lost sight of why He is even worthy of being trusted. What type of person do we find trustworthy? Typically someone who is faithful to their word. Someone who does what they say they will do. They’re honest and reliable. Is that not the God we serve? The Bible says so!
“For the word of the LORD is right and true; He is faithful in all He does.” Psalm 33:4
“But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3
And what’s even more incredible is that God’s faithfulness does not depend on ours. No matter how unreliable, doubtful, or lacking in faith we may be, He will always honor His promises to us. What an incredible, loving, and trustworthy God we serve.
“If we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.” 2 Timothy 2:13
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God’s Intentions are Always Good
Last but certainly not least, we know we can trust God because He is good. No matter what lesson He may be teaching us or how long He may ask us to wait, we can trust God because His intentions are always good. He doesn’t ruin His children by spoiling them. While He gives us all we need and loves to bless those who love Him, He is a good Father who disciplines and mentors. The Lord cares much more about our spiritual maturity than our physical comfort. While we may be in a season where things aren’t as peachy as we’d like them to be, God could very well be trying to teach us something important or prepare us for a future season that we cannot even imagine yet. We must try to look past the current growing pains and trust that God is strengthening us through the challenge.
“You are good, and do good; teach me Your statutes.” Psalm 119:68
Now not all challenges in life are brought on by God. We live in a broken world that is currently ruled by Satan, and there is a very real spiritual war going on around us every single day. But no matter what scheme of the enemy may try to destroy us or our future, we can trust God because He works all things for the good of those who love Him. He can redeem any story marked by sin and the devil, we just have to believe that He is good to do so.