Tag: faith

Job 13:15 (NKJV)

15Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.

“Trust” is such a common word in Christian lingo that it almost becomes a type of cliche. When we go through hardships, often we are told to “trust God.” When others experience difficulties, we advise them to do the same. Sometimes I wonder how often we add those words onto our sentences, and on the other hand, how often we actually practice them. What does it mean to truly, wholeheartedly trust God?

• “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God…” (1 Peter 5:7) Trusting God means that we humble ourselves before Him and accept His perfect plan and will in all things. It means that instead of questioning Him and His wisdom in our lives, we submit in faith that all His promises are true and that His ways are higher and best for us. It is acknowledging that He is GOD, and we are not–and admitting that we have absolutely no right to question His ways. Trust says “You know what is best, and I don’t. Even though I can’t see Your plan, I submit to Your will, and I trust You.” Isaiah 45:9 “Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands’?“

• Trusting God is faith. When we trust God, we display faith and confidence in His character, His Word, His will, and His promises. Trust says “God, I can’t see You right now, but I know You are here. I can’t see Your hand, but I know that You love me and care about me, even if I don’t feel it. I know that You will fulfill all your promises to me.”

• Trusting God involves dependence. When we trust God, we demonstrate our reliance on Him for everything, even our next breath. We place our lives and futures in His hands, and we acknowledge that without Him, we are nothing.

• Full surrender always follows total trust. When we completely trust God, we place our lives on the altar before Him as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2). We empty ourselves before Him, pouring our everything over His feet, as a precious sacrifice. We acknowledge that we are the clay and He is our Potter; and we give Him free reign to do whatever He wills in us–to mold us according to His perfect will. We give Him everything–our dreams, desires, pain, and disappointments. We give up the false sense of control we have held on to, giving all to Him. We surrender our wills to Him.

Recently, the Lord has been speaking to my heart through the latter chapters of the book of Job. In these verses, the LORD Himself audibly speaks to the troubled soul of Job–tearing away all his doubts and replacing them with a fresh sense of God’s greatness, majesty, and sovereignty. “Would you indeed annul My judgment? Would you condemn Me that you may be justified?” (Job 40:8)

The only response to God’s awesome grandeur as revealed in Job is Job’s statement after listening to the Lord: “Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes.” When we truly have a sense of God’s power, might, glory, and majesty as revealed in His Word and His creation, we have no other proper response than to worship Him and submit in trust and faith. And even if all is stripped away, may we humbly declare with Job, “The Lord gives and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD…Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” (Job 1:21, 13:15)

And how amazing that the God we trust is not only so great, but is also good. And He withholds no good thing from those who walk uprightly (Psalm 84:10-11); He knows us intimately and cares about us affectionately (Psalm 139); He works all things for our good (Romans 8:28); and so much more. How terrible it would be if He were great but not good or vice versa. What a God we serve! How can we not trust Him?

Next time you hear the phrase “trust God,” take a moment to think about what it really means to trust God. Thank Him for all He is, and ask Him to help you trust Him wholeheartedly. He is worthy of all our trust!