When I Need To Trust Him

When I Need to Trust Him

Nicki Koziarz

It was news that made my heart ache like no other. Nothing would ever be the same. I climbed into my car, buckled my seat belt, and sped down a dark country road. The night sky was clear, but I could barely see through my tears.

I flipped off the radio and screamed at God, “Why?! Why did You allow this to happen?” Pressing my foot on the brake, I pulled over and parked on the side of the road. The air was cold, and the silence was eerie.

Do you trust Me? I sensed God whisper.

The question arose through layers of doubt and skepticism. Truth be told, I did not trust God. Oh, I trusted Him when things were good, when life was easy. But in the lowest moment of my life? I didn’t really trust Him.

I wish I could tell you Jesus showed up in my car that night and I’ve never distrusted God since. But that isn’t the truth. It would be years before I could say I trusted God again. And even today I still sometimes have trust issues with Him.

Why is trusting God so hard? Perhaps the obvious answer is: We can’t see Him. Then there’s the sensible rebuttal: God’s ways are not our ways. Or the cliché answer: He’s mysterious.

But I think that trusting God is so much more than just an intellectual position we accept.

Trusting God is a response: being able to take God’s promises and directly apply them to our circumstances.

In my desperate situation that night, what I really wanted to say to God was “I need to trust You more than ever.” But I couldn’t believe the words, much less say them.

On days filled with uncertainty and fear, this practice of verbally placing our trust in God can be powerful. Today, as I continue to learn how to trust God more, here are some things I’m saying aloud:

• Jesus, I need to trust You more than ever to believe that You work all things for my good. (Romans 8:28)
• Jesus, I need to trust You more than ever to fight this battle I am facing. (Exodus 14:14)
• Jesus, I need to trust You more than ever to be my God who provides beyond my limitations. (Philippians 4:19)

My inability to trust God that difficult night was largely a consequence of my own failure—I had fallen far from God. Yet in that painful moment, He was still the One I turned to. I can’t help but believe it is in our moments of complete brokenness that we are most receptive to God’s faithfulness and presence. These are the times we dare to turn to Him and learn to trust Him again.

Today, with what do you need to trust Jesus more than ever before?

Dear Lord, I am thankful for the trust You offer me. I ask today that You would help me to trust You more with every detail of my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

REMEMBER

Trusting God is so much more than just a position we accept. Trusting God is a place of responding to His promises.

REFLECT

When was the last time you really trusted God for something? What was the outcome of those circumstances?

RESPOND

Write down on a card one of the “Jesus, I need to trust You” affirmations from this devotion. Keep it close by throughout the day and read it aloud each time you feel anxious about something.

POWER VERSES

Psalm 20:7; Psalm 140:6