Trust

 Hello friend! :) 

Have you ever struggled to trust God? 

I know I have. Sometimes our human nature wants to know what the outcome of something will be, rather than trusting our Heavenly Father to take care of it. Sometimes we want to take things into our own hands, thinking we know what is best.

Perhaps one of the most popular Bible verses about trust is Proverbs 3:5-6, which says,

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

 Trust is more than a feeling. Trusting in God is a conscious decision to place ourselves- all that we are, all that we desire, all that concerns us- in His hands. Trust involves surrender. 

When a child puts their hand into the hand of their father or mother, the child is allowing their parent to lead them where they choose, trusting that they know best. In the same way, when we surrender to God, we are allowing Him to lead us in the way that He chooses, trusting that He knows best. 

Trusting God isn't always easy for us to do, but it is always worth it. In order to truly trust someone, you need to know that they have your best interest in mind. We can know for sure that God has our best interest in mind- He has promised that He loves us with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3), that He has plans to give us a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11), that He will work all things together for good to those who love Him (Romans 8:28), and that He is Love! (1 John 4:8) He demonstrated that love for us by giving His only begotten Son, Jesus, to die on a cross so we could truly live, and so we could live forever with Him! (John 3:16, Romans 5:8) 

When we know that God loves us and has our best interest always in mind, we know that can trust Him with every aspect of our lives, from the biggest things to the smallest things!

One verse that I think especially sums up trust, is Psalm 62:8, which says,

"Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah."

God is our never-failing Friend- He is always there for us, a Refuge to hide in, a listening ear to pour our hearts out to, a safe space for us to share our deepest feelings. He will never let us down. We can safely trust the One who gave His life for us. 

I don't pretend to have this all figured out. Sometimes fear takes over and I stubbornly cling to "my own understanding" rather than trusting in God, rather than leaving it all in His hands. But when I surrender, when I give up all that I have been holding onto, I find peace, knowing that He can take care of it all much better than I can.

I'll leave you with the words of a simple and timeless hymn, which still speaks to our hearts today: Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus.

1
‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to take Him at His word;
Just to rest upon his promise,
Just to know, “Thus saith the Lord.”

Refrain
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him!
How I’ve proved him o’er and o’er!
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
O for grace to trust him more!

2
O how sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to trust his cleansing blood;
And in simple faith to plunge me
Neath the healing, cleansing flood!

3
Yes, ’tis sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just from sin and self to cease;
Just from Jesus simply taking
Life and rest, and joy and peace.

4
I’m so glad I learned to trust thee,
Precious Jesus, Savior, friend;
And I know that thou art with me,
Wilt be with me to the end.

Jesus, please teach me to trust You with my life. I place it all in Your hands right now. I am Yours. I know You know what is best for me. Help me to always trust You and not lean on my own understanding. Thank You that You can be trusted. Thank You for being the Friend who sticks closer than a brother. I surrender all to the One who gave all for me... In Jesus' precious Name, Amen! <3 

-Hope :)