Why should I trust in God and how can I learn to trust in Him?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

We should trust in God because He is faithful, unchanging, and His promises are always true. The Bible consistently shows God's faithfulness, from His protection and guidance to His ultimate act of love in sending Christ. To learn to trust in Him, we can deepen our relationship with God by regularly reading and reflecting on His Word, praying, and remembering His past faithfulness in our lives. As we get to know God better, our trust in Him naturally grows. Trusting in God is built on a relationship that develops through understanding His character and experiencing His love and care.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• Throughout the Old Testament, God consistently proved His faithfulness to His people. In Deuteronomy 7:9, we are reminded that "the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations."
• God does not lie or change His mind, as men often do (Numbers 23:19; 1 Samuel 15:29). His promises are trustworthy, and He remains the same throughout the ages.
• The Psalms are filled with affirmations of God being a refuge and strength for His people. Psalm 18:2 declares, "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge."
• Balaam, who was not a follower of God, but knew who He was, said in Numbers 23:19, "God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?" Even someone who did not follow God knew He doesn't lie, doesn't change His mind, and is powerful enough to do whatever He has said. God can be trusted.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Paul said, in 2 Timothy 1:12, "But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me." Even though he suffered because of his faith, Paul trusted in God. Paul was convinced that God would not let him down.
• In Romans 8:28, Paul made an equally strong statement in showing that God is worthy of our trust: "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (NASB). God is not only able to orchestrate things for an individual, but He causes all things to work together for the good of many. This care and oversight are a good reason to trust God.
• God demonstrated His love for us through Christ. Romans 8:32 emphasizes that God, who "did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all," will also graciously give us all things. This ultimate act of love shows that God is deeply invested in our well-being.
• Jesus is the fulfillment of God's promises, and through Him, we see God's faithfulness fully realized (2 Corinthians 1:20).
• Hebrews 13:5 also reassures us, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." This promise of God's continual presence gives us confidence to trust in Him.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

God can be trusted because He is faithful, unchanging, and consistently demonstrates His love and care throughout Scripture. Trusting God is a normal consequence of getting to know Him. If we try to trust Him but don't know Him, we'll fail miserably. We cannot trust someone we don't know. We may trust certain things about them, but we won't trust them. So, the question of how we can learn to trust God becomes a question of how we can get to know Him. The first step to getting to know God is to accept Jesus as our savior (If you aren't sure whether you've been saved by Jesus, see our article at https://www.compellingtruth.org/how-can-I-be-saved.html).

After that, we grow by regularly reading and reflecting on His Word, learning about and reminding ourselves of God's character and promises. Prayer is also essential; we can ask God to help us grow in faith, as seen in Mark 9:24, where a father prays, "I believe; help my unbelief!" Additionally, reflecting on times when God has been faithful in our lives, or the lives of others, builds confidence in His continued faithfulness. As we grow in our Christian life, we will trust God more and more. We will not increase in trusting because we try harder; we will increase in trusting because we know Him better and are living closer to Him.

UNDERSTAND

• We can trust God because He is faithful and unchanging.
• We can trust God because He loves us and demonstrated His love for us by sending Christ to save us from our sins.
• We can learn to trust in Him by spending time in His Word, praying, and remembering His past faithfulness.

REFLECT

• How have you experienced God's faithfulness in your life, and how does that strengthen your trust in Him?
• What specific areas of your life do you struggle to trust God with, and how can you surrender those to Him in prayer?
• How can you make regular time for reading Scripture and reflecting on God's promises to deepen your trust in Him?

ENGAGE

• What are some examples from the Bible or personal experiences where God has proven His faithfulness?
• How can we encourage each other to trust God more deeply in the midst of life's challenges?
• In what ways can we incorporate prayer, Scripture, and sharing about God’s faithfulness into our daily routines to strengthen our trust in God as a community?