When I was young, I had a knack for giving my heart to people who were untrustworthy. People who said one thing yet did another, who could smile and lie without blinking an eye.
In my naiveté, I believed that love and trust were one and the same. I didn’t understand that however quickly I fell in love, learning to trust that person was another matter. Trust required a season of testing and waiting, of promises kept and expectations met.
I was too impatient for all that. My once-tender heart was soon bruised, wounded, broken, hardened, until I was wary of loving anyone.
Then God appeared. Or rather, my eyes were opened, since He was and is and always will be.
From my earliest days of knowing Him, here’s what I read in His Word:
- “Love the Lord your God with all your heart” (Deuteronomy 6:5).
- “Trust in the Lord with all your heart” (Proverbs 3:5).
- “Obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance” (Romans 6:17).
Love. Trust. Obey. He wants it all: the whole of our hearts.
Loving Him came easily, once I grasped the magnitude of His love for His children. But trusting Him completely? The whole “Let go, let God” thing? That took years. And obedience? Oh my, oh my. A work in progress, fueled by the Holy Spirit.
His Word tells us, “The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy” (Psalm 111:7). That truth alone should be enough to convince us to trust Him completely. Still, we worry, we fret, we doubt.
Because God knows us well, He shows us well. He demonstrates His trustworthiness again and again in our lives.
Our trust in Him becomes more than a shrug, an acknowledgement, an “I guess so.” It’s a trust deepened by experiences we can point to. “Look! God did this for me,” and “No one but the Lord could have managed this,” and “See? He came through at just the right time.”
Can you name one now? A time in your life when God stepped in and proved His trustworthiness?
Remembering those moments, and seeing them happen to others around us, builds our faith. Whether He spares us from tragedy or He walks us through it, this is a God we can trust.
Some of our online sisters value His trustworthiness above all His many attributes. Here’s why:
- “He will never let me down or betray me.”—MaryJane
- “We can always trust His motives. He will never act out of ill will.”—Rebecca
- “I trust God for everything. He’s always there.”—Jane Ann
- “Sometimes we can’t trust our loved ones, but we can trust Him.”—Janet
Beloved, let it never be said of us, “She obeys no one, she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord, she does not draw near to her God” (Zephaniah 3:2).
That’s the last place we want to land. Better to stand with confidence and say with the psalmist, “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you” (Psalm 9:10).
So, how are you doing this week with trusting God?
Consider sharing your thoughts by leaving a comment below. I read and treasure each one. So do many others.
The best hours of my week are spent studying God’s Word and thinking about how I might encourage you.
Your grateful sister, Liz,
@LizCurtisHiggs
I was actually thinking about this recently, when was the first time God had my trust? I was getting ready to go into the 4th grade. All my friends were leaving and I didn’t know anyone for the following year, we moved around a lot when I was a kid so I was always at new schools and making friends was hard. The last day of school in 3rd grade I met a kid I thought would be a cool friend, I still remember his name! I prayed all summer that he would be in my class. I didn’t have a Christian upbringing or much exposure to who God was as a kid so this was a big deal to me. I bartered with Him that year and said if God would do that for me I would serve Him for the rest of my life. I walked into that 4th grade class that year and that kid was there. God earned my trust that second. It would, unfortunately, take about ten more years before I would even attempt to hold up my end of that bargain though. But I know, God is trustworthy. I can trust Him with everything!
I am trusting God as I go through some health issues that are overwhelming me right now, also financial. When praying with a friend, she said two words: fear and anxiety, and I had to admit that fear has crept into my heart. I have to learn to completely trust God and lay my concerns at the feet of Jesus. Thank you for your prayers
I’m right there with yu, Barbara. Fear and anxiety are always lurking outside my door! Daily I have to push that door shut and thank God for this time of need. Why? Because I call on Him and I KNOW He hears my prayers. We’re never closer to Him than when we’re down. He has been all over my previous health crises…and I KNOW His strength will pull me thru this one. God Bless Yu, Barbara. Your msg helped me to remember I don’t have to carry this or open that door…I can lay it down and rest in Him. I will pray for yu too.
Trust in me and be free God whispers to us
Yes!
Birds have all they need
so do we!!!
Well I hate to burst anybody’s bubble, but God works in this world through living people–the “Body of Christ”–and so far as I can see I’m the last cell in the part of the “Body” near me that’s showing any signs of life whatsoever. I probably shouldn’t read this web site until I’ve had a decent meal to restore some faith, hope, and charity in my real-world body…but the fact is that I’m out of food, out of cash, out of energy, and out of patience.
No, I don’t need free advice (unless anybody out there can convince me that you’re living in these United States on an income lower than mine, and frankly, if anybody is, I don’t think that person uses the Internet). I need PAYMENT FOR WORK DONE. WITH THANKS.
I posted a lengthy comment for you below, Priscilla. I cannot speak for my sisters, but I can tell you there was a time when I was out of food, cash, energy, and patience, working three low-paying jobs, and selling my blood plasma to keep the wolf from my door. I felt unloved and unlovable, used and abused. It was a VERY difficult time, and your words take me there in an instant. Just want you to know you are not alone. You may feel stuck (I sure did), but there is hope. You didn’t come here by accident, Priscilla.
Reading about Rahab today. Even though her heart melted in fear and her courage failed, she chose to trust in God. Such a great encouragement to me as I am in my 5th month of depression with no relief. I will choose to trust God no matter what my feelings are, as He is Sovereign and all powerful and is with me every step of the way.
Though God doesn’t always do what I’d like for him to do for me I trust that he always does what is right for me.
Thank you, Liz for this sweet reminder. I’m dealing with a lot of hard things right now, and though I trust God completely, it’s so good to remember that He is there, He is listening, He does know what is going on, and He is pouring out His love upon me every single day.
Thank you for your amazing insight – can’t wait to spend the weekend with you at LYFE starting this Thursday – I am Dana’s friend and she bought me a tiara too!
Hi Liz, I’ve had trust issues with men all my life for the same reasons you did. My first marriage did nothing to help. However, seven years ago I met and then married a godly man I really could and can trust. As I prepared for our marriage, one Bible verse kept coming to my mind, “Perfect love casts out fear.” I thought at the time it was fear of not being good enough for him. But I realize that it also meant I had no need to fear trusting this good man because his love was true and perfect, praise God.
Beautiful, powerful post dear Liz! It was a great reminder too to remember (as you pointed out) the ways He provided at just the right timing. Wow, and the promises in His Word. How can I not trust Him. This week~ right now, I’m doing great (especially after reading your post), but Monday at about 5:20pm, I was not doing good and my by thinking the lie that “I need to trust in people more than God” led me to sin (sin of being prideful and possibly more). Only God knows the deepness of my sin. And it seems the more I get to know Him the more He reveals sin in me that I didn’t even realize was sin. Anyway, overall, year after year, my trust in God is strengthened, but I can have moments of doubt. Thankful for your ministry and so excited for your new book!
Liz…
The Lord continues to amaze me at how He is working through your ministry. He is using you mightily – and He must be so thrilled by your obedience. I am always inspired by what you write and know that God’s hand is upon you.
Trusting the Lord is the beginning of my every day – I trust that He who began a good work in me will carrry it to completion – I walk by faith, not by sight – I trust that my children and my children’s children will all come to know the Lord as personal Lord and Savior – I trust in Him for everything … as He has shown His trustworthiness over and over again in my life. Oh, that all people should awaken to His unending goodness and trustworthiness in their lives.
Thanks for always helping to feed the spirit.
Liz, I learned to trust God as I watched as my daughter lay dying in ICU. I knew I couldn’t try to force God to heal her; I had to trust that he would be with me no matter if she lived or died. She lived, and is 29 and married today! I have had many difficult and varied trials along the way, and he has been with me, no matter the outcome. Now with each trial I rest in the peace that he has been faithful to me, and he will always be. It is very reassuring.
Hi Liz, this post was helpful to me this morning. I can relate to it as I also have been naive. But somehow, He picks up the broken pieces and mends my heart again and whispers “it’s ok, I am safe to trust. I love you.” He gently reminds me that even though I may doubt, He is here. He has been faithful to me and will continue to be.
I must be honest and admit that normally I delete these emails because i don’t have time to read them. But I find it funny that this one popped up in my inbox this week. Recently God has brought it to my attention how little I trust. I thought I was doing better, but I realize I have strayed recently. Thankfully God is consistent and never gives up. In the last few weeks I have seeked him as much as he has seeked me. He has sent people, his church, sermons, and workshops that are calling me out as to what he wants me to do. And now your email. Everything keeps pointing back to trust and priorities. Thank you so much for this. It is a reminder today to trust in God and allow him to do the work he needs to do so I can be the woman he is calling me to be.
Trusting that God is always there is not difficult for me. I know that, and believe what the Scriptures say about His trustworthiness. What I do have trouble with is His timing, so in my impatience, I guess it looks like I do not trust His timing! Often my husband and I have come to the point of our impatience or lack of understanding why certain things happen or why people we love abandon our relationship, we look at each other and say – ” do we really trust God now”? Perhaps not strongly enough, we say. Checking up on our spiritual health is so necessary from time to time. Thanks for the check up today, Liz.
This is for me today Liz. I’ve known the Lord for 48 years (and trust Him wholly), and within the last month or so I’ve begun to struggle with ‘trust’. It’s not for anything for me personally, but what is going on with others and what’s going on in the world. I’ve had talks with the Lord and just last night he so graciously showed me He is listening, He does care, nothing is getting past Him, He is on the Throne and He is still in control! Never in a million years would I have thought I would have a ‘faith glitch’, because I have never had a problem with believing Him when things go wrong, things don’t work out, through sicknesses, even through deaths…but somehow there came this ‘wondering’ how long this horrible ugliness would continue in the world, and if indeed He was watching…
I’m assured He is…
Thanks for this Liz.
Blessings to you.
Trusting God during the most difficult time in my life has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But God is faithful and I know He’ll bring me through. I lean on him every day. I’m trusting His heart when I can’t see His hand.
Keep trusting His heart, Angela. Praying for you today. Xox
An anniversary that I was quite frankly truly dreading was recently approaching. On the Friday, I prayed in the shower with tears streaming down my face ‘Lord, there is no way I can do this weekend without you. I do not have any strength of my own. I am choosing to trust you through this again’. I went to bed with a heavy heart. I awoke on Saturday morn with an unexpected spring in my step and as a lovely day unfolded, my sister and I burst out laughing when I said, before I even had time to think, “I just don’t want this day to end!”. How topsy turvy! A beautiful moment and without a doubt, a testament to God’s trustworthiness… above and beyond. I am learning that trust is not a one off action but a habit and I’m still pondering a quotation I read recently by Brennan Manning “Trust is the pre-eminent expression of love. Thus, it may mean more to Jesus when we say ‘I trust you’ than when we say ‘I love you'”. Thank you Liz for giving us your best hours. It’s so appreciated.
I am trusting God for.a.reunion with my grand daughter who is 11 I have nor seen or hr since she was 4.reusing in God for the time to come quickly
I am joining you in prayer that you will get to ENJOY time and adventures with your grand daughter!
Being a Grandmother has been such a joy & blessing for me and I am praying God will share that with you.
I know this may sound like a silly example, but the one time it really made and impact in my life to trust him was with a bar of cream cheese. One day I just happened to speak aloud that I would like to have some cream cheese. The next morning , when I got up, I found a bar of cream cheese on my kitchen table. I still to this day do not know how it got there, but I feel it was the Lord saying, ” See, I hear even the faintest request.” It made me realize in a deeper way that he is there all of the time.
A beautiful song that is all about the wait and trust we are called to do.
Kathy Troccoli has a new song called I Wait.
Lyrics as follows: I wait, I trust, I lift it up and I let it go……
Wait and trust are what we are called to do and sometimes it is so darn hard to do so.
I ALWAYS have to Trust Him and He has pulled me through some very tough, low times in this world. I believe in HIS guidance to take me down the roads that I need to travel.
I claim what I need (not what I want) and Trust Him to provide for me IF it is what He wants & plans for my life here on Earth.
PRAISE GOD for HIS good works in my life over many years.
Thank you Liz, trust issues weigh heavily on me, and to hear that even you took many years to Let Go and Let God, has comforted me. I was let down as a child in many ways and learnt very early not to trust and when I did love or trust it was taken away from me and reinforced in my mind that I shouldn’t and couldn’t trust. I am slowly changing and only with the Holy Spirits help I take it one day at a time, I trust God (but do I trust completely?), I do not fully trust myself to do what is right, like Paul I seem to end up doing what I hate. But God is awesome, some of the things I use to do do not even enter my thoughts now and yes, I can look back on times when I just know God was showing me the way.
My 90 year old mom took a bad fall this week and knew I had to make some tough decisions about her care. I felt so overwhelmed until I stopped and realized I did not need to take this on alone. That whole day I prayed first and placed my trust in the Lord’s care. A peace filled my heart. Remembering over and over the times the Lord has been with you does help to trust more and more. Fear and lack of trust leaves me struggling to make things right on my own. I desire more of Him and less of me! Thanks Liz once again how in a few words you bring a powerful message♥
Just the message I needed for the day! People have let me down so often; however, God never has! His presence is how I keep going.
I am still growing (at age 76) and have much more to learn. I am trusting He will supply the tools I need each day! Thanks.
Liz, I have a heap of memorial stones to remember all that the Lord has done in my life. Many bring tears to my eyes. When I find my trust is lacking, I pull them out, going over each one. Beautiful post! Looking forward to seeing you at She Speaks in July…
On this particularly discouraging day (at the end of what’s been a discouraging *decade*) I probably shouldn’t even have opened this page. I’ve been a Christian, more or less, for fifty years…and I’m losing my faith…and it hurts.
Maybe I need just one more person to point out oh so helpfully that it has to be all my fault, in some way. Maybe that’s what it takes to convince me that *nothing* I’ve believed all my life was true *at all* so I can just become an Objectivist.
Or maybe, if God answers your prayers, youall can pray that God will get all the material rewards for all the unrewarded work I’ve done to me while there’s still a part of me that wakes up thinking Christian thoughts…at least, early in the morning, before I’ve had to deal with any of the real-world effects of getting paid for half a day out of a full week’s work, if that, week after week after week.
Priscilla, you are coming through loud and clear. Your discouragement, disappointment, and distrust are understandable. You’re working hard and getting paid less than you are worth. You’re hungry, tired, and in need. You’re wondering where the Lord is in all this, and in particular, where the Church is, the Body of Christ.
The women who follow my weekly Bible study blog are loving and caring and compassionate. You can be sure if they read your comment, they will pray for you. We are not here to blame you or make you feel less-than.
Here are my prayers for you today, Thursday, May 28th:
Lord Jesus, our sister Priscilla is losing heart and her faith is flagging. I would boldly ask, Lord, that you bring someone across her path this weekend who has an answer for her current situation: a better job prospect, sufficient food, decent housing, whatever she needs most. Lord. Someone to be Your hands and feet to her, someone right there in her town.
In our own towns, Lord, help us be watchful for the Priscilla’s among us. Prompt our hearts to give in a meaningful way, to support and encourage with more than words.
We do trust You, Lord. Show us how to help each other in a real-world, hands-on way. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Thank you for your post! I am a youth leader/youth pastor’s wife. I have bi polar with anxiety and depression. I am recovering. I have so much less anxiety than my earlier years. As a leader I have several teen students that suffer from anxiety and depression. One of them being mine. I struggle with what to tell them and how to encourage them. And how to help them move past these fears. I realize that thwy are caught in the enemies trap. I had prayed tonight for God to give me words to say. And He used your post. He is still in control of the world. Hallelujah, Praise the Lord! ! I needed this encouragement. Thank you!
I was 5 years old when in the school playground one day the ‘friends’ i had made fun of me all the lunch break because they could tell i have poor eyesight and couldn’t find them easily in the playground. At the end of lunch break one girl said to me that she would be my friend, i remember saying ‘it’s ok Jesus will be my friend…. And He has for 45 years He has been my constant support, companion, guide and comfort through many life struggles. He has always come through with what me and my family need – ‘parted the waters’, shown us ‘His favor’ in many difficult circumstances. I love Him dearly and trust Him completely and am also learning to obey Him effectively each day through His grace. Hallelujah 🙂
Deirdre
Liz
Thank you for your encouraging words. I believe we all have been through the trusting in something or someone. God is our hope and we can put our trust he him. Thank you for your ministry