The Bible tells us to trust in God, to place our faith in Him, to depend and rely on Him; but what does that mean exactly, and how do we evidence trust in our life? Trust is a verb of perception. It does not refer to a concrete action; it is a verb of sense or volition. The concept of trust is not tangible, thus one must rely on perception to fully conceptualize its meaning.

The Bible, especially the Psalms, is replete with commands to trust in God. David often talks about waiting on the Lord, depending on God, and hoping in God’s loving kindness (hesed; dRsRj). The issue of trust is essential to the Christian faith because it validates that the believer has made God his hope. Trust is evidence that we believe in God’s goodness. One of the Hebrew words for trust is batach (jAfD;b) which means “to put confidence in.” It emphasizes the feeling of safety and security (TWOT, pp. 101-02). Another Hebrew word that connotes trust is aman (NAmDa), but it has a broader sense. It denotes certainty, to have faith in (as in the case of Abraham believing in God in Gen 15:6)). In English, trust and faith overlap in meaning. When we say we trust someone, we mean that we have faith and belief in the individual to do what he promises.

Every relationship requires trust in order to grow. The moment that trust begins to erode, the relationship will start to crumble. When doubt sets in, so do anxiety and fear. No wonder Jesus tells us not to be afraid. Because, when we place our trust in Him, we will not be affected by doubt, anxiety, or fear. He says, “Do not be afraid for I am with you…” (Isa 41:10). Trust is essential in our daily walk with the Lord. We must trust Him with our spouse, our children, our finances, our health, our jobs—everything! We need Him in every phase of our life, and we must trust that He knows what is best for us. Learning to trust God takes time. It does not happen overnight.

I thought I was pretty far ahead in the trust factor until some unexpected circumstances arose which I could neither control nor prevent. I began to ask myself the “what ifs.” This was dangerous because in asking the “what ifs,” I became fretful and anxious. The peace of God left my heart and I became worrisome. The word “if” is a conditional conjunction that depends on something else to happen. When we imbibe the “ifs” we immediately ascertain doubt. When we wonder if God is going to provide what we need, we inject doubt into our heart. This saddens God’s heart because we hold Him suspect. It is as if we are not sure He is reliable. Satan rejoices when we “wonder” whether God will come through for us. Indeed He will! He is not a God who lies and deceives (Num 23:19). Satan is the ultimate deceiver and we must resist him with undeterred faith in Christ.

The devil wants us to doubt God’s goodness (cf. Gen 3:1). The whisperer seeks only to create mistrust in your heart. We cannot allow our circumstances to sway our trust in the Divine. God is big and powerful, so much so that He knows our needs before we utter them. He knows them before they even manifested themselves to you. The omniscient One is aware of all that concerns us and He beckons us to trust in Him. Never doubt God’s goodness. He is always on time and His way is always best. Our best assessment is done in hindsight; the Divine uses foresight. Let us trust Him together regardless of what comes our way.