Curious Minds: Why Should I Trust God?

Trusting God through life's battles by questioning, praying, and surrendering,

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Part 4: Why Should I Trust God?

Have you ever felt like life is just one never-ending battle? We’re either in the middle, coming out of, or going into a battle. It seems like everything is a fight.

We fight to:

1. Pay bills

2. Overcome addiction

3. Keep kids on track

4. Hold our marriage together

5. Keep sane (or crazy) people around us from going crazy

After all this fighting, we feel worn down, doubtful, discouraged, and often depressed.

King David said something in Psalm 20 that I find particularly encouraging:

Psalm 20:7 (ESV): “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”

I can personally relate to the “some” in this verse. Chariots and horses are things we can see, and often, we trust what we can see. If I’m going into battle, it’s easier to trust a war horse than something I can’t see. Some trust in their knowledge or experience. Some trust in what money they have in the bank, while others trust in their limited ability to control their circumstances.

What encourages me most about David is the faith he had AFTER doubting. Earlier in scripture, David asked:

Psalm 13:1–2 (ESV): “How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?”

At one point, David says, “I’m not sure I can trust God!” Later, David says, “With all my heart, I know I do!”

How can we trust in a God we can’t see?

Years ago, I was a young person serving in a large church.

I grew up around some pretty great Pastors and loved every minute. With all the highs and lows of leading people, God was leading me on a ministry path, and I envisioned a future serving as a Pastor. Eventually, I lived that dream, serving as a paid staff member in a large church.

If you’ve ever worked on staff at a church, you’d know that it runs differently than the world's systems. Often, that’s a good thing, but in some cases, it’s challenging and leads to burnout. There were many times that I thought I was done. I’ve had many personal experiences and observations of others that have shown me what I should and should not do in ministry.

Many times, I asked God, “Are you listening?” “Do you care about what I’m going through?” It seems odd that I would think these things, knowing God exists and cares about me. I’ve read about and heard that message for most of my life. Still, I’ve questioned what God was doing in the background many times along the road.

My experience tells me that I know I can trust God. But getting there wasn’t easy.

Trusting With Certainty

How do you go from “I’m not sure I can trust God” to “I know I can trust God!”

1. Question

Is it OK to question God? Yes!

David was a man after God’s heart who questioned God. If you think about it - we are closer to God when we ask questions than when we think we hold all the answers. Mark 9 shows us the actions of a hurting father. His son was battling an evil spirit that caused the boy to convulse and foam at the mouth.

The Father told Jesus…

Mark 9:22 (ESV): “And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

There’s the question, “But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

So what can you do?

• If you’re wondering why, ask God.

• If you don’t know what to do, ask God for wisdom.

• If you are hurting, cast your cares on God. Why? Because He cares for you.

God would rather you run to Him with your questions than run from Him with your doubts.

2. Pray

This Father was hurting and wondered if Jesus could do anything about their situation. Jesus responds:

Mark 9:23–24 (ESV): And Jesus said to him, “If you can! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

I love this example. The Father, in his struggle, asked a question. Then he prays. So many times, I’ve found myself in this place, asking God to help me in my unbelief. This Father questioned, then prayed, and Jesus responded by acknowledging the question, heard his prayer, cast out the demon, and built the Father’s faith.

What can you do when you find it difficult to trust God? When you face a problem you don’t understand?

You question, you pray, you…

3. Surrender

What does it mean to surrender? It means you will trust God as you grow in your faith, even when you don’t understand.

One of my favorite verses in the Bible that comes to mind is:

Proverbs 3:5–6 (ESV): “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

That middle part grabs my attention. Scripture tells us not to lean on our own understanding.

What is the problem with my understanding? Your understanding is limited.

My wife is a trucker’s daughter. From a young age, she was taught to remember street names and always know where she was. On the other hand, I was not taught this skill. We always joke about how long it takes to get somewhere when driving separately.

We recently moved to a new house. It was an area that she was familiar with, but I wasn’t yet. I remember taking the same way home from work each day until she said, “Why didn’t you go this way?”

I responded, “I didn’t know I could go that way…” My information was limited.

God’s word tells us not to lean on what’s limited. We must choose to trust even though we don’t understand the details. The Hebrew word translated as trust is the word “batach.”

It means to stretch out, to lie face down before God. Batach represents a servant waiting for the master’s will or command.

When you trust God, you are submitted to His will.

Think back to when Jesus was about to be crucified. He was in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he prayed to God, asking for any way to avoid what was coming. He said, “I want your plan, not mine.” It shows how much he trusted God.

How can we practice trust?

Let’s take a look at what it’s not:

• Trusting God doesn’t mean you always get what you want

• Trusting God means that no matter what happens, you believe God loves you and works all things for your good.

Romans 8:28 (ESV): And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

How do you grow in trusting God?

Growing to trust in a God you can't see involves questioning, prayer, and surrender, repeated over and over. Consider the example of David: he questioned God's presence, prayed for one thing, and ultimately surrendered, putting his trust in God instead of relying on horses and chariots.

Similarly, look at the example of the father who questioned Jesus' ability, prayed for belief, and surrendered to God's healing power, strengthening his faith. And finally, reflect on Jesus' example: he questioned God's plan, prayed for strength, and surrendered to the Father's will, leading to his resurrection three days later. We can deepen our trust in the unseen but ever-present God through questioning, prayer, and surrender.

My Experience

God brought me to a wonderful church where I could serve as a Pastor and do the things I know God called me to do. It’s so refreshing. Even though I don’t fully know God’s plan, I trust God has a purpose.

You might be hurting, struggling, or questioning God right now. Maybe you are wondering, how do you trust God when:

• You want to get married, but there’s no godly prospects, and the clock is ticking

• You’re trying to save your marriage, but you feel like you’re the only one fighting for it

• You have way more bills than you have income

• You prayed, and prayed, and prayed, but nothing is happening

You question, you pray, and you surrender.

Remember to trust God with all your heart and lean not on your understanding. Trust doesn’t mean you get what you want. God is working all things for the good. That’s why some trust in horses and chariots. We trust in the Lord, our God!