3 Simple Steps to Trust God More

How DO we trust God more? It’s a complicated question that every Christian wrestles with. But, what if the answer is simpler than we think?

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👉🏼 If you’ve ever wondered how to trust God completely, you’re not alone.

I’ve often been ashamed or dismayed, when I realize how LITTLE I trust God. Like, I only trust Him with 10% of my life. Or, I trust him halfway, not all the way. When life gets tough, my trust easily wavers.

For goodness’ sakes, WHY is it so hard to trust God? Just when I think I trust Him, some situation comes along and knocks me down, and I realize my trust in Him still falls short.

The honest truth is, life doesn’t make sense all the time. We go through hard things, we panic, and we wonder why God hasn’t rescued us yet. Or why He answered in a way that’s different than what we asked (or hoped) for. We have a hard time trusting God, because His ways are higher than ours, and they don’t always make sense to us.

But, God’s goal isn’t just to make our lives easy and care-free here on Earth. His goal, is to rescue us from sin (Jesus did that, hallelujah!), and to help us become more righteous like Jesus. I do believe God gives us many blessings because He loves us, but He also allows many hardships because He loves us. Like the good Heavenly Father He is, he stands back and allows us to go through things. Sometimes, it’s because He wants us to grow, and perhaps other times the hardship is for His glory. Some things in life, we might not have any clue why He allows it, but we TRUST that He has a plan, and His plans are GOOD.

3 Simple Steps That Help Us Trust God More

So, since we know that life’s uncertainty and troubles are what keeps us from learning to trust God more, what can we do?

As I prayed over how to write this post, I was actually planning a longer list… but God so graciously distilled that list down to three simple points, which make so much sense. These are the simple ways to trust God more…

1) Memorize God’s promises

The best way I know of to increase our trust in God, is to know His promises. If we don’t know God’s character, or what His Word says, then how can we trust Him? The world is often full of conflicting information, mixed signals, and confusion. When life doesn’t make sense, it helps to know what God’s Word says about it.

Take for example the following verses:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28 (NIV)

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 1:2-4 (NIV)

These two verses alone, tell us that God works all things for our good… and even the troubles that we encounter can be used to make us “mature and complete”. And of course, that’s just a tiny fraction of the wisdom and truth found in the Bible!

If you want more, check out these 27 Essential Bible Verses to Memorize! These will help you build a strong foundation of faith, which will help with this next step…

2) Be aware of your reaction when things don’t make sense (go back to what His Word says)

Okay, now… let’s say something happens that challenges your trust in God. Perhaps something tragic or troublesome happens, and your first reaction is to question God and stop trusting Him. Or, you’re praying for something, and God hasn’t answered yet. The uncertainty of the future (how much longer, Lord?) causes you to doubt God.

If you find your trust in God wavering, go back to His Word! Does it say He works all things for your good (Romans 8:28)? Then make a decision to trust Him to do just that. Does it say not to be surprised when you encounter troubles (John 16:33)? Then keep trusting God, through the trials.

You’ve probably heard the saying “life is less about what happens to you, and more about how you respond to it”. Well, it’s true! I’ve been noticing this a lot lately in my own life. If I encounter a tough situation, I often overthink it and stress myself out, trying to problem-solve or figure out how to fix the mess. But, I have a better choice: I can pray, take some deep breaths, and trust God to help me find a way forward.

The million dollar question is, do we respond to the uncertainties of life by trusting God more, or less? We may not know what will happen in the future, but God knows. And that’s enough.

3) Be patient, keep praying and waiting for His timing

I know what you’re thinking, though… “How do I trust God when my prayers are going unanswered, even after a long time of praying and asking?” Or “How do we trust God, when the world seems to be unraveling at the seams?” Indeed, it’s so hard to trust God when things aren’t going well… the breakthrough hasn’t come, the situation is unresolved, the loss is devastating, or there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel.

But again, this is where we need to buoy our confidence through the Scriptures! We are not the first of God’s people to be confused or dismayed, as we can’t see God working or don’t understand what He’s up to. And we certainly won’t be the last.

Case in point, Abraham. He had seen God provide Him with a son (Isaac) even in his and Sarah’s old age. And then, God asked him to sacrifice his own son. Wait, WHAT? Sacrifice the son he had waited so long for? Abraham could’ve easily lost his trust in God, and bailed out. But, he faithfully prepared to carry out said sacrifice… and God provided a ram in place of Isaac at the last minute! (Read the whole story, in Genesis 22:1-14).

I could go on and on about more Bible characters who trusted God, like Joseph, David, Daniel, Peter, Paul, etc. But, you get the idea. Speaking of King David, he gave some wise words about this subject:

I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.
Psalm 27:13-14 (NIV)

Considering that David waited approximately 15 years to become king, much of which he spent running from King Saul and his murderous threats, I do think David knew a thing or two about trusting God in the waiting.

And with that, I have one last observation for you: When it comes to waiting, the Scriptures don’t specify timelines!

If it says wait on God, it doesn’t mean only wait one day, then get impatient and lose faith. When Jesus gave the Parable of the Persistent Widow (in Luke 18:1-8), he didn’t say how long the widow waited for justice against her adversary, or how many times she pestered the judge before he agree to grant her justice. It just says she was persistent.

May it be said about you and I, that we are PERSISTENT in prayer, and CONSISTENT in trusting God. Amen!