Trust Does Not Come Easily

By Rachel Indihar –

If there’s one common issue in most Christians’ spiritual lives, it would be trust. Trusting that God will provide, trusting that God will come through in a problem, and most importantly…trusting that God really is enough.

I’ve struggled with trust for most of my spiritual life. Having gone through challenging situations including depression, the death of a parent, and job concerns, I sometimes ask God, “Do you really understand what I’m going through? Are you really there for me? Will you help me?” Sometimes I receive an answer to a prayer, and other times I don’t.

God is greater than our circumstances and greater than our doubts and fears. I understand this and accept this, but in my daily life I have trouble living it out. Most of us aren’t living radical Christian lives because fear and anxiety are eating us up inside. We struggle to contain the dozens of fears that fester at the edges of our minds. We can’t escape the lies and whispers of Satan who asks, “Can you really trust God? Is He really all you need?”

I hate to admit it, but there have been several occasions where I have struggled with these lies. It’s only been recently that God has led me to a powerful truth: sometimes you must act on God’s promises before you can fully start to believe them.

What do I mean by this? Simply that if you wait to experience the emotion of complete trust, you may be waiting a long time. But if you repeat to yourself the promises of God in His Word, even when you mentally have doubts and fears, you will find that those fears are quenched when you live out the promises in the Bible. Soon you believe what you are telling yourself.

For example, many Christians love Psalm 37:3-4: “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (NIV).

But remember what comes after that: “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun” (Psalm 37:5-6 NIV).

The reward for trusting and delighting in the Lord is righteousness and receiving your heart’s desire (which is Jesus). But these rewards come after you trust. Trust is a decision of the will and sometimes is made when your emotions don’t support that decision. However, act on your desire to trust the Lord and soon you will find that trust comes more easily.