Articles
Learning to Trust God
Learning to Trust God
Faith has different focuses. It can mean the belief of a fact. It can mean the trust such facts. Concerning people it involves trust of character. Of course it is easier to learn facts and thus to believe such facts are true than it is to learn to trust someone's character. The foundation of our relationship with God is based upon such trust.
We of course begin with facts. All evidence for the existence of God comes from reasoning from facts. The existence of the universe, the existence of life, etc., these are the facts / data that we begin with. It coming to an understanding of why and how such facts exist, we reason to the existence of God.
The Bible teaches that "whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists AND that He rewards those who seek Him" (Heb. 11:6). The belief in His existence is concluded from the data that we have. The trust in His character (that He rewards those who seek Him), is more difficult for most people. It is this trust in God's character that separates the 'belief of demons' (James 2:19) and the faith of such people of God in Hebrews 11.
This trust can be built on several different foundations. Testimony / examples of those who have experienced God provides one such foundation. Many of the stories of the Bible involve people learning to trust upon the promises that God made to them. Some failed in their faith, many learned through difficulties in life that God is faithful to His promises. (Read Hebrews chapter 11 for a short synopsis of such people of faith.)
Reading about other people's struggles with God is instructive, but it yet must become personal. I will have to deal with both the joys of life and the tribulations that also come into MY life. I will have times (many of them) when I don't understand. I will cry out 'WHY' only to be met with silence. I have God's instructions on what I am to be doing – it is my trust in God that will keep me doing when I don't understand why.
Probably the biggest danger I have seen is when people have a mistaken concept of what God has promised for them. Such mistaken concepts cause people to give up on God when things don't work out the way that THEY think it should. They begin accusing God of being unfaithful when in fact God never promised such.
We must fill our minds with the history of God's faithful dealings with His people. We then must each day walk by faith: learn what God wants us to do and then obey to the best of our ability. Faith will grow as we continue to walk with God.
Hugh DeLong
