Increase Trust in the Lord – Part 1

Trust in the Lord. Trust. Yes, it is blind faith. That thing that seems so incredulous. Yet that is what we said when we took Jesus as Lord, acknowledged that He died for me, was buried and conquered sin and death, for me. For you. We trust God at his word. Oh, but help me in my doubt! Help me when finances are tight, when I can’t see a way out, when I am ill, when I can’t see Him! Even the disciples said that, and they still had him right there with them. We can increase trust in God, and I will share at least four ways.

Trust: Know Him

God is vast, three in one. There are so many things that we have yet to know or to understand. We know instinctively that to trust a person, we must know them and to trust a company, we must know its reputation and what others say about it. Apply such instinct to God – get to know Him, His attributes, and His character.

We began this month looking at four attributes: sovereignty, just, good, and wise. That is in no way an exhaustive list; those are merely my top four to know in my head and heart when I think of trusting God. He is much more than that. You may do a study of His names in the Old Testament and the names of Jesus in the New and the Holy Spirit is throughout both Testaments. This will deepen your understanding of who He is. Last year, we did a study of some of the names and you can start hereif you like.

The psalms are another great place where David and the other authors cry out to God and tell of His response. This too helps us understand who He is and how trustworthy He is. This verse in Lamentations (3:21) urges us to recall His attributes to stand firm, ‘Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.’ If one of these attributes sparks something in you or gives you that sense of peace, then write it down and post it somewhere to remind you daily of who He is.

Trust: Recall what He has done

We started with who God is, now we can also look at what He has done. The Israelites do this many times over in the Old Testament. In reading the Bible, the history is told and then we recall God’s actions throughout, such as in Joshua 24:1-13, Psalm 44:1-5, Psalm 135, Isaiah 51:10.  Psalm 80 reminds us of what God has done and calls on Him to save us again. Psalm 147 describes all the daily things that God does, make the grass grow, form the clouds to send rain, and so much more. God acts in amazing and loving ways toward us. Jesus’s sacrifice is recounted throughout the New Testament, not only in the Gospel accounts. He does amazing things. He will do amazing things for you, for me.

Recounting what He has done for others can be an amazing and trust affirming activity. But taking it to the personal level is even more affirming in knowing that God is trustworthy. In Psalm 57 and Psalm 40:1-3 David recounts what God has done for him personally and we can do the same. This is similar to the idea ‘He still moves mountains;’ He did things in the past (in the Bible), but he continues to work today. He sent the rent just the evening before it was due, friends began inviting me for dinner when cash was short, new clients showed up in the nick of time to keep the company open. These are things that I know God has done for me. He has changed me too, not just done physical things. He has healed me of past hurts and changed my character to one with more patience and understanding. I know that He is the reason that my days are structured and ordered now, where just a few years ago when I was not working I could have slept all day or played on the internet; He has made me into the productive person that I am today. These are the points to recall. Write them down in a journal. Some people write gratitude journals, consider what God has done and list it down. Sometimes it is easier when we look back over time to see the difference He has made.

Knowing Him and all that He has done and is doing build the confidence we have in trusting the Lord. These are choices we make to trust Him and increase that mustard seed, growing it into a mustard tree.