“Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”-Psalm 62:8

TRUSTING GOD: It’s our new series for March, and I hope you find it helpful. As children of God, we know we’re supposed to trust Him, but why is it so hard sometimes? Why do we default to worry more than trust? Is it part of living in this broken world? Why are some so faithful, while others live in constant anxiety and worry about the future? We’re going to look at some of these topics this month. Let’s dive into what God has to say about it and how we can renew our thinking about trust. We start the series today with a look at one of my best friends from childhood, and her story about learning to trust God.

“How do you trust a God you can’t see?” - Amber

My friend Amber and I met in Junior High. I was a tall, gangling, flat-chested girl. Amber was petite and had the curves I could only dream of. We were a pair of misfits from the wrong side of town, but we clicked really well. The topic of God never came up in our teenage years. We shared similar dysfunctional families, and maybe that’s why we understood each other so well; shared pain can be a bonding experience.

She remembers absolutely every conversation and interaction, whereas I only have vague recollections of my past. I remember how I felt more than actual details of events. Amber had a dog named Fred, whom she adored and forced me to love him too, but I’m not really a pet person. I never told her I didn’t like Fred until we were way into our forties. As the owner of five dogs, she was shocked and horrified. I told her I still loved her. Friday nights were most often spent cruising around town in her Volvo with Amber yelling at other drivers to be careful. We laughed a lot, and we cried together, too.

I was happily involved at school, where Amber stood on the fringes. She helped back stage with school plays and tried out for some things, but didn’t make it which only contributed more pain to her already fragile self-esteem. She was known for lugging around a liter of Tab for years. She was certain it would keep her thin, as she suffered from an eating disorder. It wouldn’t be uncommon for us to visit, Dunkin Donuts, Hardees, and McDonalds on a Friday night. While I enjoyed the food, she would most likely throw it up or use laxatives.

Amber could never love herself. She was trapped in self-loathing and wrestled with body image issues. She was a mere 135 pounds when she became obsessed with dieting and exercise in ninth grade. I didn’t suffer that way. I was more paralyzed by what was going on in my alcoholic home, but away from home I was happy.

We parted ways after high school. I went to college an hour away from home. She tried a semester, but studying wasn’t her thing. She met her husband, Dave and they were married on a hot June day when she was 19 years old. We would never live in the same city again. We live ten states apart, but have continued our relationship via phone calls, as we’ve seen each other once in the past 20 years.

I came to know Christ a year after Amber was married. She’s always been very supportive, and we’ve had lots of “God talks” through the years. For Amber it always came back to trusting God; she didn’t know how. It was hard for her to grasp an unseen God. Growing up, Amber was taught that people who went to church were mindless sheep following each other. She felt if she followed the church she would be seen as dumb, and because she craved people’s approval, she didn’t want to deal with that disapproval.

As my relationship with God grew, Amber was always sweet about it. She watched me as I lived out my faith, and she was very supportive of my role as a pastor’s wife. We’d have conversations about trusting God and she’d say, “But how do you trust something you can’t see?” We talked about relating to God would require faith and the ability to trust. Amber struggled with addiction for years. She went from food, to alcohol and also suffered from severe back pain and endured multiple back surgeries. She would stay in recovery for awhile but often slip back. It’s in recovery where she first realized she could reach out to God. She once thought He only loved good people, but now she’s able to see Him everywhere. She’s learned to talk to Him and is also learning to accept His love for her.

“I have grown to believe that if God is there for others He can be there for me, too. I see it in the rooms of Recovery that He is doing work through them, and I can have that too. There are people going through really hard things with grace, and I know it isn’t all on their own. So, seeing Him work in other lives gives me hope and faith that I can have a relationship with Him, too. And of course I see Him working in my life! I’m learning to turn my will over to God on a daily basis, and I see Him everywhere now.” - Amber

Eventually, Amber was able to take the leap of faith to discover who God was for herself. I’ve never seen her happier or more at peace with herself. Watching her learn to trust God has been a sweet surprise in our friendship.

How do you learn to trust God?

• You have to let go of a wrong perspective of God and discover the Truth of who he is for yourself.

• Recognizing His work in others helps you see His goodness and the possibility of Him helping you.

• You have to understand He approves of you fully, as you are, right now.

• Even when can’t see him, you need to look evidence of His Presence.

• Know He doesn’t only love good people, He loves all people.

When we don’t know how to trust God, begin by getting to know Him. The best way to do that is by reading the Bible. It’s filled with stories of people, and how they related to God. We often live our lives based on what other’s have told us about God. Take the initiative and find out for yourself who God is. God is willing and waiting to have a relationship with you. It will require faith, but you’ll surprised by His love for you.

Father, I come to you not fully trusting you. I want to, but there’s something standing in my way. Would you reveal yourself to me, so I can know who you are and I can learn to trust you too? Open my eyes so I can see you in the world around me. Amen

I’ve included a free resource for you below. It’ll help you examine yourself to find the underlying reasons why you are having a hard time trusting God today. Once we overcome these obstacles, it makes room for us to move to trusting Him more. Click on the banner below to download the free printable resource.