Trust in God

Often in the middle of difficult situations we are told to Trust in God. Today someone asked me what that meant.

Often I think what people are saying is trust God everything is going to be OK. Trusting God means that eventually God will work things out the way I want.

I will get the Job
I will be healed
I will get a husband or wife
My marriage will be saved
My child will be well
The list goes on....

This often goes along with us claiming a promise in the Bible with seems to confirm I can have what I want. So we live proclaiming the verse. (I do believe God can speak to us through his word and when he does we can take it too the bank) But often we presume what God is going to say instead of listening to what he has to say.

Maybe trusting God is trusting is more about trusting that he really knows what is best for us with the view of eternity. Trusting who he is rather than what he does for us. Trusting in his nature and character.

Trusting when I don't get the job.
Trusting when I don't get healed.
Trusting when I am single.
Trusting when our spouse walks out.
Trusting when my child is ill.

That does not make it easy. But as Paul says "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" - Phil 4 v 13. Unfortunately we have quoted this verse out of context so many times where it is used only as an exhortation to say we can do all POSITIVE things.

Clearly Paul was saying from the context he could do: being in need & having abundance, facing hunger & plenty, in bad as well as good circumstances.

If trusting God only extends to trusting him to work something out the way we want Him to then I may be in for a shock and disappointment.

I will trust Him. Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him; in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. My sickness, or perplexity, or sorrow may be necessary causes of some great end, which is quite beyond us. He does nothing in vain. - John Henry Newman