Learning to Trust God

by Hugh DeLong

Faith has different focuses. It can mean the belief in a fact. It can mean the trust of such facts. Concerning people, it involves trust in character. Of course, it is easier to learn facts and thus believe they are true than to learn to trust someone's character. The foundation of our relationship with God is based upon such trust.

We, of course, begin with facts. All evidence for the existence of God comes from reasoning from facts. The existence of the universe, the existence of life, etc., are the facts or data that we begin with. In coming to an understanding of why and how such facts exist, we reason to the existence of God.

The Bible teaches that "whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). Belief in His existence is warranted by the data we have. The trust in His character (that He rewards those who seek Him) is more difficult for most people. It is this trust in God's character that separates the 'belief of demons' (James 2:19) and the faith of such people of God in Hebrews 11.

This trust can be built on several different foundations. Testimony and examples of those who have experienced God provide one such foundation. Many of the stories in the Bible involve people learning to trust the promises God made to them. Some failed in their faith, but many learned through life's difficulties that God is faithful to His promises. (Read Hebrews chapter 11 for a short synopsis of such people of faith.)

Reading about other people's struggles with God is instructive, but it must yet become personal. I will have to deal with both the joys of life and the tribulations that come my way. I will have times (many of them) when I don't understand. I will cry out 'why' only to be met with silence. I have God's instructions on what I am to be doing – it is my trust in God that will keep me doing when I don't understand why.

Probably the biggest danger I have seen is when people hold a mistaken view of what God has promised them. Such mistaken concepts cause people to give up on God when things don't work out the way that they think they should. They begin accusing God of being unfaithful when in fact God never promised such.

We must fill our minds with the history of God's faithful dealings with His people. We then must each day walk by faith: learn what God wants us to do and then obey to the best of our ability. Faith will grow as we continue to walk with God.