It is one thing to have faith, to say, “I believe God.” This is essential and foundational. But do we trust Him? Truly and completely?
As a new believer, I heard our pastor tell this illustrative story, and I remember it now, more than 50 years later.
A crowd gathered at Niagara Falls as a performer prepared to walk across the chasm on a tightrope, pushing a wheelbarrow in front of him.
He asked the crowd, “How many believe I can do this?”
Just a few of them raised their hands. He proceeded to walk all the way across the Falls and then back, pushing the wheelbarrow the whole way, to the crowd’s delight.
He then asked, “How many of you believe I can do it again?”
All of them raised their hands in affirmation and shouted out, “You can do it!”
He asked, “How many trust me?”
Again, they raised their hands without hesitation.
He replied, “Then get in the wheelbarrow!”
That’s the difference between saying, “I believe” and having that deep, immovable sense of “I trust.” When you trust, you get in the wheelbarrow. When you trust, you know.
Promises
Recently, while studying the Psalms about overcoming fear in the midst of devilish attacks, I was struck by how often the Hebrew verb “to trust” came up in these contexts.
Here are some examples:
In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. (Psalm 22:4–5)
Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident. (Psalm 27:3)
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise — in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? . . . in God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me? (Psalm 56:3–4, 11)
Guard my life, for I am faithful to you; save your servant who trusts in you. You are my God. (Psalm 86:2)
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” (Psalm 91:2)
More Promises
Those who walk in that sacred trust become immoveable and unshakable:
Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. (Psalm 125:1)
Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD. Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes. (Psalm 112:6–8)
How wonderful it is to trust the Lord! As Isaiah proclaimed, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you” (Isaiah 26:3).
The Hebrew for “perfect peace” is shalom shalom. No matter what you’re going through, if you truly trust in your God and you are in right relationship with Him, you can have a double dose of His shalom. How wonderful!
As for the Hebrew verb for trust, it speaks of a firm reliance leading to absolute confidence and certainty.
What Trust Really Looks Like
To paint a picture, it can be terrifying when God says to us, “Close your eyes, take My hand, and jump into thin air. I’ve got you!”
But when we know He is speaking (through the Scriptures and through our own relationship with Him) and when we are certain that He is good and He has our backs, we can jump with perfect peace. “God, I trust You! I’m even going to enjoy the ride!”
Some years ago, a close friend was going through a severe trial of faith (it will happen to all of us at one time or another – or at many times!), but I was sure the ultimate victory was his.
To encourage him, I wrote:
Faith requires risk. Either God is, or He is not, and if He is, we must step out and trust Him. We must get out of the boat to walk on the water. We must lean on Him without any backup plan.
Your fundamental problem is that you have not been willing to totally trust Him in case He’s not really there or in case something will go wrong and you would suffer crushing disappointment. And so, you constantly hold back, not wanting to get out of the boat and walk on the water, not so much for fear of drowning, but for fear of disappointment, for fear that Jesus will not be there for you in the day that you totally trust Him. And so, you always stay in the boat!
That is the thing that paralyzes you, since as long as you hold something in reserve, you cannot be in faith; as long as fear of disappointment dominates (or even hinders) your attitude, you cannot be in faith.
The fact is that HE IS and that HE IS TRUSTWORTHY and that YOU BELONG TO HIM. The thing that undermines your faith is the very essence of a fear-based unbelief: “But what if God doesn’t come through for me?”
Faith says, God is good, God is for me, and therefore I have nothing to fear. Faith says I will put all my eggs in God’s basket, because He is totally trustworthy. Get out of the boat and you WILL walk on the water, and you will see that you have nothing to fear. You’ll even learn to enjoy the splashes and the wind and the waves!
Put your trust in God! And where you find yourself wavering and full of doubt, acknowledge your fear and unbelief, repent of any known, willful sin and receive cleansing through the blood of Jesus, ask Him for help, remind yourself of who He is and the times He has come through for you, and then fill Your mind with His promises — and recite and repeat them and meditate on them day and night.
You will find Him to be totally trustworthy!
