God, our loving heavenly Father, always directs our paths and brings great deliverance when we put our trust in Him. These truths never rang truer for me than when our youngest son was challenged with a medical situation that took two years of our family’s daily focus and diligence. My life was challenged physically, mentally, and spiritually. The suddenness and severity of the illness froze me momentarily.
When the initial shock wore off and our lives regained some stability, I realized I needed to bolster and deepen my trust in God. Growing in my trust in God would help me let Him be my sufficiency and attain greater peace. No matter what circumstances we face in life, we can increase our trust by faithfully building God’s Word in our hearts and proving His Word in our lives. By trusting in God, we will have no fear or doubt but will live in peace. Isaiah 26:3 promises, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”
To help build and strengthen our trust in God, let’s consider the following: what it means to trust, a Biblical example of a believer who trusted in God, and practical keys to build our trust in God.
So what does it mean to trust? In the Old Testament, one Hebrew word translated “trust” [batach] carries the meaning of “to confide, to place hope and confidence in any one.” Another Hebrew word translated “trust” [chasah] means “to flee to a place, i.e. to take refuge or shelter… to trust, to confide, especially in God.” During my family’s challenge, I was looking for a place of refuge, and I found it in God’s heart by way of His Word.
Trusting in God also means we do not have to be ashamed.
Psalms 22:4 and 5:
Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded [ashamed].
Webster’s New World Dictionary defines the English verb “trust” as “to believe in the honesty, integrity, justice, etc. of; have confidence in.” As our understanding of God and His honesty, integrity, reliability, and justice increases, our trust grows. This results in a faithful walk of godly confidence. What boldness and authority we can walk with when we trust in the stability and power of God’s matchless Word.
The Old Testament speaks of King Hezekiah and how he trusted and placed his confidence in God. Hezekiah became king at the age of twenty-five and reigned for twenty-nine years. He walked with boldness and authority, and his trust in God was such that he was not equaled by any king of Judah before or after him.
II Kings 18:3-7:
And he [Hezekiah] did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father did.
He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.
He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him.
For he clave to the Lord, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses.
And the Lord was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not.
In verse 5 of II Kings 18, we see that Hezekiah trusted in the Lord God of Israel; in verse 6 we see that this involved three actions.
II Kings 18:6:
For he clave to the Lord, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses.
Hezekiah “clave to,” “departed not,” and “kept.” He “clave to”—adhered, clung, and stuck to—God and His Word. He departed not from following God, but kept His commandments. These actions that Hezekiah took built his trust in God. Hezekiah practically applied the Word, and his trust grew to a point that he was unmatched among the kings of Judah. This gives us a foundation on which to build our own keys to trusting in God.
Let’s look at some practical keys to building our trust in God. Considering and doing the points listed in the acronym TRUST will give us something tangible to implement if our trust starts to wane and we get anxious or unpeaceful.
THINK about all God has done for us.
When I was a little girl, my dad would take me swimming. He would let me ride on his back while he swam underwater. He always swam close enough to the surface so that I could keep my head above water since I didn’t know how to swim yet. The first time we went swimming I was a little unsure, but my trust in my dad grew each time we safely navigated the deep end of the pool. I quickly had full confidence in him to protect me from sinking in the water. As I grew older, thinking about how my father had taken care of me in the pool helped build my trust in him to take care of me in other situations.
Thinking back on how our Father God has taken care of us is one way we strengthen our trust in Him. It’s part of cleaving, adhering, and sticking to Him. We can stay close to Him by holding on to the deliverance we’ve seen in our lives. Thinking about what God has done for us also keeps us thankful. We rejoice, knowing that God has delivered and will continue to deliver as we cleave to Him.
One way I can remember so much of what God has done for me is to take the time to get quiet and think on the things of God. Another way is to keep a thankfulness journal, where I write down blessings and victories that I and my family have received. If my trust starts to wane, I can stop and look through the journal and think on the goodness of God and His care for my life.
RELY on God to do His part.
The reliance we have in God to do His part springs forth from our confidence in how He has done His part in the past. In Life Lines: Quotations of Victor Paul Wierwille is this wonderful statement: “You do your best. Then God will do the rest.” That’s relying on God. We do our part by taking believing action on the Word we know, and then we trust in God to do His part to bring about deliverance in any category of life.
Proverbs 30:5:
Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
We can rely on God to protect us from the darkness of this world when we put our trust in Him, when we look to Him as our sufficiency. God shields us from the attacks of the adversary as we look to Him and keep Him first in our lives. We take refuge in His Word and rely on His willingness and ability to bring His promises to pass.
In writing to the Corinthians, Paul described the trouble he and Timothy had encountered in Asia.
II Corinthians 1:8-10:
For we [Paul and Timothy] would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:
But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:
Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us.
These great believing men did not trust in themselves to bring about their own deliverance—they relied on God. They trusted in Him. Paul and Timothy “despaired even of life,” as it says in verse 8. Yet they chose to trust “in God which raiseth the dead,” as verse 9 states. They relied on God to do His part.
UNITE with like-minded believers.
Paul knew the importance of believing together and being like-minded. He longed for the fellowship of the household of God, and frequently he sought out the believers as he traveled. He wrote to the believers in Rome and told them of his plan to see them on his journey to Spain.
Romans 15:24:
Whensoever I [Paul] take my journey into Spain, I will come to you: for I trust to see you in my journey, and to be brought on my way thitherward by you, if first I be somewhat filled with your company.
Paul sought out the fellowship of like-minded believers. He knew the love and encouragement of his fellow believers would strengthen him. The pattern he followed had been set from the very beginning of the Age of Grace. The “about three thousand” who were added to the Church on the day of Pentecost continued together in the Word, in fellowship, in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Acts 2:42-47:
And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
And fear [respect] came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
The believers in the first century lived the Word together. As they grew individually and as a household, they helped one another with the Word of Life. They reminded each other of the Word, and they took care of those in need. As they saw God bring to pass signs and wonders, their trust in His ability grew. They were confident that their need would be met, and they grew stronger as a household. The household of God that began on the day of Pentecost grew in their unity and in their trust in God to the point that they became the example of how to live the Word in the Grace Administration.
STRENGTHEN our knowledge of God’s Word.
I Timothy 2:4:
Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
God doesn’t want us only to be born again, He wants us to come all the way unto the experiential knowledge of His Word. We must know God’s Word to trust in it. We must build it in our hearts before we can claim His promises and have confidence in His ability to deliver. Therefore, we have to strengthen our knowledge of God’s Word, making it our own to the point of taking refuge in it. This requires effort on our part.
II Timothy 2:15:
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Studying the Word builds our knowledge and helps us keep God’s commandments, just as Hezekiah did. We study the Word and apply it in our daily lives. That’s how we make it our own and keep it in our hearts. We can only keep what we know. God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness in His Word, and it is a delight to put it on and hold it forth.
Psalms 37:4 and 5:
Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
We delight in God by delighting in His Word, consistently putting it on in our hearts and lives. This helps us build our trust in God and gives us strength to meet any attack of the adversary. When my trust in God seems weak, I make time to strengthen my knowledge of the Word in the area where I am challenged. If I want to strengthen myself in God’s promises regarding health, I might do a word study on “health.” Maybe I would memorize a new verse of scripture regarding God’s desire for my life in the category of health. The Sunday Teaching Service and The Way Magazine are two other abundant resources I could tap into for bolstering my believing.
We’ve considered four practical keys for building our trust in God, using the acronym TRUST. Let’s review the keys and put them together with our final T, which sums it all up:
THINK about all God has done for us,
RELY on God to do His part,
UNITE with like-minded believers,
STRENGTHEN our knowledge of God’s Word, and…
TRUST in God with all of our hearts!
Proverbs 3:5:
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
We trust in the Lord not just by putting on the Word and doing it, but by keeping God in the equation while we do it. That equals trusting in God, and that is what brings peace. Staying faithful to God requires that we trust in God. When we trust in God, we have no doubt that He will shield and deliver us from any situation that the adversary throws at us.
Psalms 84:11 and 12:
For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
We grow in our trust in God by thinking about and remembering all He has done for us and by relying on Him to do His part. We also stand unified with like-minded believers, strengthening our knowledge of the Word by digging into it deeper and putting it on in our lives. When we do these things, we are trusting in God and we have the strength to stand and overcome in the spiritual competition. In any situation, we can increase our trust in Him. We can trust in God with all our hearts, with no fear or doubt, and live in peace.
As a little girl, I trusted my dad to protect me and keep me safe. I had no anxiety about going swimming with him in the deep end of the pool. Now, as a mother with my own sons, I have grown in my ability to trust in God and to let Him do His part. Both sons are growing and thriving. They know that God takes care of them, and both my husband and I are diligent to remind them of all God has done for our family, including the deliverance of our youngest son.
Building our trust in God enables us to rely on Him as our sufficiency and to live in peace. This allows us to walk out boldly, with all confidence, knowing that we have the power of God in Christ in us to overcome any obstacle the adversary endeavors to put in our path.
Having these assurances, let’s continue to strengthen our T-R-U-S-T in God in every aspect of life, knowing that He will supply our every need and will withhold from us no good thing.
This is a reprint from the January/February 2014 issue of The Way Magazine.
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