Do You Trust Me?

I imagine the conversation going something like this:

God: Do you trust Me?

Me: Of course I trust You, Lord.

God: Then why are you anxious?

God: Do you trust Me?

Me: Of course I trust You.

God: Then where is your peace?

God: Do you trust Me?

Me: Why wouldn’t I trust You?

God: That is what I’d like you to tell Me.

Why wouldn’t we trust God?  The question may be better asked, what don’t we?  Why do we, people who have placed absolute trust in God for our eternal salvation, find it difficult to trust Him in the matters of our earthly life? Do we question His true intentions toward us? Do we doubt His willingness to act on our behalf? Have we sought Him and felt He didn’t reach back?

I’m guessing we’ve all felt these emotions at one time. While the root of the issue can take many forms, I believe there’s a single answer. It’s found in Psalm 9:10:

 “Those who know Your name will trust in You. For You, O Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You.”

To know the name of God is to know His character, the glorious aspects of His excellence, greatness and power. As with any relationship, trust in God comes as we spend time with Him and get to know Him. As I stated in the last post, it all comes back to intimacy.

Consider the relationships in your life. Trust isn’t built overnight. It comes through the ongoing sharing of thoughts, feelings and experiences. Trust is built as you experience firsthand that the other person is trustworthy. So it is with God. He wants you to know Him, to know His thoughts and the burdens of His heart. He wants you to share your heart with Him. God wants to “do life” with you so He can show Himself faithful to you. His promise is, as the psalmist stated, He will not forsake you if you seek Him.

In Psalm 13 King David poured his honest thoughts out to God. Being pursued by a fierce enemy, he felt abandoned and forgotten by God. Yet, in spite of his feelings, David concluded: “But I trust in Your unfailing love, my heart rejoices in Your salvation (deliverance). I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me.”  David didn’t feel the nearness of God nor had he received an answer to his prayer exactly how or when he wanted it. Yet, because of the time-tested relationship David had experienced with God, he knew God was faithful. David trusted God, even in spite of his feelings.

We will increasingly trust God as we come to know through firsthand, personal experience that He is indeed who He says He is. Get to know your God and you will trust Him.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.” Jeremiah 17:7