Learning to Trust God

This journey in life is too difficult to make on our own. We need God’s help and encouragement from others to learn how to trust God. We don’t naturally trust; we have to learn how to trust. Likewise, learning to trust God takes years of practice. David describes trust like this: “But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me” (Psalm 131:2). A child most naturally resists the time to be weaned from its mother’s milk because it is what it knows. But it is in the child’s own best interest to take this step. It is time to grow and eat solid food. Steve Farrar writes in his book Courage, “Weaning is the first great disappointment of life. No matter what our age, however, God is continually weaning us from places or positions where we have found comfort, peace, security, nourishment, or affirmation. Sometimes we fight with everything we have to maintain those places of safety, comfort, and security—especially if it involves our income stream.” However, in all these situations, we are forced to either trust God or rely on our own intelligence. Solomon wisely said: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Leaning on our own understanding is dangerous, even though it often seems right. Much like refusing to follow your GPS because it just feels like the right way to go, only to later find out you should have heeded it.

When we are going through a time when nothing makes sense, and it feels as if God has abandoned us, it is very difficult to trust God. Some things in our lives are not right, mistakes are happening, and God has to use difficult measures to keep us on the right path. We are often lured by our desires and tempted by the world around us. So how does God get our attention? Pain is one of the ways he uses to get us to listen to Him. It is those moments that we have to learn to trust God.

Whatever we plan, we must first commit to God. It must have his approval to succeed. Again, Solomon gives us good advice: “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans”(Proverbs 16:3). If God says yes, we proceed; if he says no, we don’t. It’s that simple and that real. If we learn to do this, we will save ourselves so much heartache.