Trusting In Him

“Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done.”

-C.S. Lewis

If you have ever or currently struggle to trust the Lord, I assure you that you are not alone. That is why I love C.S. Lewis's quote above. I believe that building trust in the Lord takes time, and sometimes it involves trials, tribulations, triumphs, and even temptations. Nonetheless, as we develop our trust in the Lord, we are drawn closer to Him. In Isiah 66:12 it says "For this is what the Lord says: I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream. May we grow to have the kind of trust in God and His plans for our lives so that we receive the peace that is described here.

God is sovereign

Recently I have been reading a book titled 'Trusting in God' by Jerry Bridges. While I am only in the book's early chapters, God's sovereignty is a shining focal point in these beginning chapters. A point that stuck out to me is that we often think about God in a coming and passing-type of way. Have you ever felt as though God had left your side when things in your life began to get tough? It makes sense if you did, we are often told that the enemy is the cause of what is happening, that merely evil is at the hand of what is currently going on in our troubling seasons. But is our God, not the supreme ruler, the independent, and self-governing power and authority of our lives? Is God not free from external control and interference? I mean that is the definition of sovereignty. Is it not true that we serve a sovereign God, who has had plans for us far before we were ever carried into this world? Even with calamity included, God is the knower of all things. When we stop believing that God is sovereign; when we believe that there are times when His hand has been lifted from our lives, times when He is stepping out of our lives it can have a damaging domino effect on the way we understand Him, His authority, and His posture in our lives. God is always in our lives, even through the pain and suffering as it says in Ephesians 1:11 "In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will." God is the author and the illustrator of our lives and we know that in all things, not some, in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called, not chanced, called according to his, not ours, not the devils, but his purpose (Romans 8:28).

In other words, God is the ruler, the authority, the author, and the illustrator of our lives. He has plans that go beyond what anyone could disrupt or explain about our past, present, and future. In Bridges's book, he brought up this verse which has since resonated with me deeply. In Ecclesiastes 7:13-14 it reads 13 Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what he has made crooked?14 When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future. There is nothing that has come or passed that God did not know or plan for. I know I sound repetitive, but this is such a blessed reason to trust in Him. Let me put it like this, let's say you get into a brand new car, I mean one that has been driven by no one other than the individual who made it. If the car were to break down, you would trust that they would know how to fix it. If they wanted to push it to go as fast as it possibly could, you would trust that they would know its limits. If they were to drive it through different seasons, you would trust that its owner knows what controls and settings to turn on to optimize its potential. God is the creator of our lives. He knows exactly what we need, how much we can sustain, why the things that are happening are, and our beginning from its end. As we are experiencing and seeing only segmental portions of our lives, God is standing over us with knowledge of the entire plan and outcome of our lives. And because we serve a God who is sovereign and works all things out for our good, we need, not should, we need to trust Him with our lives in totality.

Trusting God through the hard times

Now that last paragraph may have been a lot to unravel, and I don't want ya'll to get it misconstrued. Our pains and sufferings are real. It is no surprise that you will go through both pain and suffering in this life. I am not expecting you to not feel your pain, or to act like it is not there. Even Jesus wept when Lazarus died. Feel your pains, express your pain to the Lord, don't hold them in as a means to falsify your trust. There are pains we will experience in this life both big and small, but the point I want you to take is that nothing that God wills is in vain. Even through the worst of times, God is still working things out for your good. It may hurt, and you may feel broken, but our Lord God will wipe away every tear from your face, and your heart, do not stop trusting in Him. In 2 Corinthians 5:7-9 it says 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. If it were God's will for me today I would prefer to be with Him, I think we all would. To be away from the sufferage and pains of this world, from its destruction and brokenness. But our will is not God's will. We live by faith, not by sight. Even though you may not see the end to what you have been going through currently, and even though you may pray and yearn to be in the Kingdom instead, to be away from this body, and at home with the Lord. It is not your time, and God is working it all out for your good. Your turnaround is on its way. So make it your goal to please God while you wait, sis, I believe that God will be pleased with your trust in him. Don't let your trust in Him fall short, you are one day closer to your breakthrough, as it says in Isiah 55:8-9 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." We are not always meant to understand God's plans or what He allows to pass through our seasons, but we are required to trust in Him because we know the truth about His plans. Even through the tears and the questions, lean on him, and trust in Him. Remember what we discussed about communication with the Lord. Bring your burdens to Him, cast them on Him, communicate honestly and openly, and He will strengthen you. I pray that in your heart no matter the season or trouble you remember that you can always trust Him because He is a God who wants the best for you. You just have to remember that your best is not always God's best for you, still, sis trust Him.

Choose to trust god

There was another thing Bridges brought up in his book that I needed to hear. On page 42 he wrote:

"Trusting God is not a matter of my feelings but of my will. I never feel like trusting God when adversity strikes, but I can choose to do so even when I don't feel like it. That act of the will, though, must be based on belief, and belief must be based on truth."

Trust is not expected to come easy, but it has to come to you, you must will it. At times it may feel easier to trust yourself, your circumstances, your success, your wealth, and the false truth of the things you see and think you know, In 1 Corinthians 8:2 it says "Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know." There is so much that we do not know, little that we truly understand about God's works. Our feelings have to come second at times, honestly speaking this advice is timeless and something that I wish I understood earlier in my life. Our feelings can as easily lead us into destruction as they can to destiny. Modern-day, western culture tells us that we should never invalidate our feelings, but sometimes we have to because our feelings are led by our internal thoughts, perspective, perception, anger, heartbreak, despair, grief, and far more. Our feelings are not always rational or logical, and there will be times when we will need to stop and ground ourselves with the truth of God's word and promises. This is not always going to be an easy thing to do, but times will come when this is the only thing you should do. When things get hard it is even more important that it becomes your will to trust the Lord more and more. We know and we believe in the truths that have been revealed to us, and He will be glorified when we trust in Him as our sovereign God. In Lamentations 3: 1-38 Jeremiah writes:

I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of the Lord’s wrath. 2 He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness rather than light; 3 indeed, he has turned his hand against me again and again, all day long. 4 He has made my skin and my flesh grow old and has broken my bones. 5 He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship. 6 He has made me dwell in darkness like those long dead. 7 He has walled me in so I cannot escape; he has weighed me down with chains. 8 Even when I call out or cry for help, he shuts out my prayer. 9 He has barred my way with blocks of stone; he has made my paths crooked. 10 Like a bear lying in wait, like a lion in hiding, 11 he dragged me from the path and mangled me and left me without help. 12 He drew his bow and made me the target for his arrows. 13 He pierced my heart with arrows from his quiver. 14 I became the laughingstock of all my people; they mock me in song all day long. 15 He has filled me with bitter herbs and given me gall to drink. 16 He has broken my teeth with gravel; he has trampled me in the dust. 17 I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. 18 So I say, “My splendor is gone and all that I had hoped from the Lord.” 19 I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. 20 I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. 21 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: 22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” 25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; 26 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. 27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young. 28 Let him sit alone in silence, for the Lord has laid it on him. 29 Let him bury his face in the dust—there may yet be hope. 30 Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him, and let him be filled with disgrace. 31 For no one is cast off by the Lord forever. 32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. 33 For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone. 34 To crush underfoot all prisoners in the land, 35 to deny people their rights before the Most High, 36 to deprive them of justice—would not the Lord see such things? 37 Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it? 38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?

Okay, I know those were a lot of verses, but I pray that you do not stop at verse 38. Please read the rest of this chapter which can be found at the bottom of this page. There is so much worth noting found in these verses, first and foremost I admire that Jeremiah was honest about His feelings with the Lord, he communicated transparently and openly which is all the more highlighted in the remainder of the verses of this chapter. Jeremiah was going through real, and heart-wrenching pain as he wrote these verses. But even through his pains, it is clear that he wills to trust in the Lord's works. In verse 21 he says "Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope." Though the pain and suffering will come, the Lord is with you now and he will be then, He will bring back to joy again. Is it not by God's hand that both calamities and good things can happen, nothing has happened without the Lord's decree. You may ask then why? Why must the pain come then? The answer is that it is a part of God's plan, and we have to accept that. The sooner we trust in Him, the closer we are to having peace like a river. Don't forget what it said in Romans 8:28.

Don't forget to Glorify god even after the good has been done

Remember that the overarching theme of this series is that through all these different areas we have discussed we are actively working on being in a loving relationship with the Lord. In his book Jerry Bridges mentioned that he and many others find it harder to trust God in adversity, but I actually testify the opposite. Sometimes in seasons of adversity, I hit a point where I feel like I am so low that I have nothing better to remedy my pain than the Lord. In those times I draw nearer to Him because He is a father to me, who wipes away my tears and consolidates me. The Lord gives me clear answers in the midst of darkness even if it is not immediate, He reveals to me all the things He once stored in my heart. So oddly there are times when I find it harder to glorify and trust Him when things are actually going good. Why? Because I'm a human and a woman who sometimes thinks "as it should." After long seasons of darkness, I start to think I earned this, I deserve this, and my glory begins to rest in the credit I earned myself for pushing through the battle even though they were alongside the Lord. Somewhere between trusting Him, I credit myself for trusting in Him. If you get it, you get it. I realize that the Lord was the doer of the good, but I also glorify myself for being good. In reality, God was good to me even in seasons where I was not good, even when I didn't deserve it. Another quote worthy of noting from the book is that

"God never pursues His glory at the expense of the good of His people nor does He ever seek our good at the expense of His glory. He designed His eternal purpose so that His glory and our good are inextricably bound together."

It is a good thing when we trust in the Lord, but the glory should always go to Him. He is good, omnipotently. When we are good we please Him, we bring delight to Him, but He is a good God regardless of what is done. We really deserve no credit for His goodness. I know that may be hard to hear, and a few years ago I might have been like "What?" But I pray that you understand what I mean. Our God is a good God, because He is good, all the time.

In Luke 17: 12-19 there is a story:

12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy[a] met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master,have pity on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?”19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

These 10 men came to Jesus with the trust that He would have pity on them. But only one returned back to Jesus to glorify Him, a Samaritan at that. I bring this up for any of you who can relate to me, but also as a reminder that the Lord deserves our praise through both the good and the bad. Don't forget that He is the author, the illustrator, and the sovereign Lord even during the good times. It's not always because you deserve it, but it's always because God is good.

Our Father in Heaven,

Hollowed be your name. Thank you, God, for being good to us always. Thank you, Lord, for loving us in the ways you do.Thank you, God, for gifting us with your goodness in all the seasons of our lives. Lord, I pray that we grow to trust you, to trust in the plans that you have for our lives. Lord, I pray that we are reminded of all your works in our lives, of the miracles, and our daily blessings. Lord, I pray that we scale them all the same because everything you do is perfectly good. God, you are surely Alpha and Omega, and all that comes from you is immeasurable. Thank you, God, for giving us breath, for giving us bodies that function to give us life every day. Thank you for keeping us safe in moments where had it not been for you our lives would have been lost. Thank you for giving us delightful things that bring us happiness in this world, and for the delightful things that we pray to one day see in your kingdom. Thank you, God, for the good, the bad, and the ugly because surely Lord all things work so that we may be drawn closer to you. Thank you, Lord, for not forsaking us, for doing nothing in vain, but for doing all things to shape us so that we may handle the goodness that you have planned for our lives. I pray Lord that as we continue to work on strengthening our relationship with you we also improve our communication and our trust in you. Lord give us the will to trust you to seek you in more than we could ever even imagine or desire. Lord help us to come closer to you. To know you, Lord, to love you Lord in all the ways you do. And I also pray Lord for our shortcomings, I pray that you give us grace and mercy in all the areas where we fall short. I also pray that we do not take advantage of the grace and mercy that you give freely to us Lord, help us to receive in humbly with a heart that desires to do better. Help us Lord to increase our faith after falling, for we know that the righteous man falls seven times, and rises up again. Help us Lord to rise with love, faith, trust, communication, resilience, perseverance, surrender, patience, and commitment help us to rise because we trust in you Lord, because we trust that you will set us on solid ground. I also pray for forgiveness for our sins and the ways that we hurt and dishonor you Lord. Help us to be better Lord, for you, to give you all the honor, and the glory, strengthen us in the ways you do best.

Thank you for it all Lord,

In Jesus name we pray,

Amen.

More Verses For trusting In the lord

Trust In Him Because He always watches over you

Psalm 121:3 He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

Trust in him because he establishes our steps

Proverbs 16:9 In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.

Trust in him because he has a will for your life

James 4:13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

Trust in him because he has made the one as well as the other

Ecclesiastes 7:1-14 A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth.2 It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.3 Frustration is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart.4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.5 It is better to heed the rebuke of a wise person than to listen to the song of fools.6 Like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of fools. This too is meaningless.

7 Extortion turns a wise person into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart 8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.9 Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools. 10 Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is not wise to ask such questions.11 Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing and benefits those who see the sun.12 Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it. 13 Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what he has made crooked?14 When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future.

Trust in him because he chose us

Ephesians 1:3-14 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. 11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

Trust in him because he made all things, so they came to be

Isaiah 66:2, 7-9 Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the Lord.

7 Before she goes into labor, she gives birth; before the pains come upon her, she delivers a son. 8 Who has ever heard of such things? Who has ever seen things like this? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children. 9 Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?” says the Lord. “Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery?” says your God. 10 Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her. 11 For you will nurse and be satisfied at her comforting breasts; you will drink deeply and delight in her overflowing abundance.

trust in him Because His Thoughts and ways are greater

Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. 12 You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the Lord’s renown, for an everlasting sign, that will endure forever.”

Trust in Him To listen to your cries, and deliver you from your afflictions

Lamentations 3: 1-65 I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of the Lord’s wrath. 2 He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness rather than light; 3 indeed, he has turned his hand against me again and again, all day long. 4 He has made my skin and my flesh grow old and has broken my bones. 5 He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship. 6 He has made me dwell in darkness like those long dead. 7 He has walled me in so I cannot escape; he has weighed me down with chains. 8 Even when I call out or cry for help, he shuts out my prayer. 9 He has barred my way with blocks of stone; he has made my paths crooked. 10 Like a bear lying in wait, like a lion in hiding, 11 he dragged me from the path and mangled me and left me without help. 12 He drew his bow and made me the target for his arrows. 13 He pierced my heart with arrows from his quiver. 14 I became the laughingstock of all my people; they mock me in song all day long. 15 He has filled me with bitter herbs and given me gall to drink. 16 He has broken my teeth with gravel; he has trampled me in the dust. 17 I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. 18 So I say, “My splendor is gone and all that I had hoped from the Lord.” 19 I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. 20 I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. 21 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: 22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” 25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; 26 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. 27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young. 28 Let him sit alone in silence, for the Lord has laid it on him. 29 Let him bury his face in the dust—there may yet be hope. 30 Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him, and let him be filled with disgrace. 31 For no one is cast off by the Lord forever. 32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. 33 For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone. 34 To crush underfoot all prisoners in the land, 35 to deny people their rights before the Most High, 36 to deprive them of justice—would not the Lord see such things? 37 Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it? 38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come? 39 Why should the living complain when punished for their sins? 40 Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord. 41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven, and say: 42 “We have sinned and rebelled and you have not forgiven. 43 You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us; you have slain without pity. 44 You have covered yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can get through. 45 You have made us scum and refuse among the nations. 46 All our enemies have opened their mouths wide against us. 47 We have suffered terror and pitfalls, ruin and destruction.” 48 Streams of tears flow from my eyes because my people are destroyed. 49 My eyes will flow unceasingly, without relief, 50 until the Lord looks down from heaven and sees. 51 What I see brings grief to my soul because of all the women of my city. 52 Those who were my enemies without cause hunted me like a bird. 53 They tried to end my life in a pit and threw stones at me; 54 the waters closed over my head, and I thought I was about to perish. 55 I called on your name, Lord, from the depths of the pit. 56 You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears to my cry for relief.” 57 You came near when I called you, and you said, “Do not fear.” 58 You, Lord, took up my case; you redeemed my life. 59 Lord, you have seen the wrong done to me. Uphold my cause! 60 You have seen the depth of their vengeance, all their plots against me. 61 Lord, you have heard their insults, all their plots against me— 62 what my enemies whisper and mutter against me all day long. 63 Look at them! Sitting or standing, they mock me in their songs. 64 Pay them back what they deserve, Lord, for what their hands have done. 65 Put a veil over their hearts, and may your curse be on them! 66 Pursue them in anger and destroy them from under the heavens of the Lord.