- Why Should I Trust God?

Proverbs 3:5-6

Psalms 20:7

We are continuing our series, Ever Wonder Why?

In this series, we are bringing some of life’s hardest questions into the light of God’s Word.

This morning we come to another deeply personal question.

Why should I trust God?

That question does not usually rise when life is smooth.

It rises when life is hard.

It rises when the bills are heavy.

It rises when the body is weak.

It rises when the future is uncertain.

It rises when the marriage is strained.

It rises when the prodigal is still away.

There are seasons in life when it feels like everything is a battle.

You get through one burden, and another one is waiting for you.

You fight discouragement.

You fight fear.

You fight temptation.

You fight weariness.

You fight the questions that whisper in the dark.

In those moments, trust is no longer a theory.

Trust becomes a necessity.

That is why verses like Psalm 20:7 is such a powerful reminder of the truth.

7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

David spoke those words in a time of battle.

He was saying that when conflict comes, people will naturally look for something visible to trust.

Some trust horses.

Some trust chariots.

Some trust weapons.

Some trust resources.

Some trust experience.

Some trust money.

Some trust control.

But the child of God must learn to trust the Lord.

What makes that even more powerful is this.

The same David who said, “We will remember the name of the LORD our God,” also said in Psalm 13:1

Psalm 13:1 KJV

1 How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? for ever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me?

That means David’s trust was not the trust of a man who had never struggled.

It was the trust of a man who had learned to bring his struggles to God.

That is where many believers live.

We do not always move from confidence to confidence.

Sometimes we move from confusion to confidence.

Sometimes we move from fear to faith.

Sometimes we move from, “Lord, I don’t understand,” to, “Lord, I choose to still trust You.”

That is the burden of this message.

We trust God not because we understand everything He does, but because we know who He is.

I. Trust Is Tested In Trouble

Before trust can be strengthened, it is often tested.

God often shows us what we are leaning on by allowing us to walk through something that shakes us.

A. Trouble Reveals What We Naturally Lean On

Psalm 20:7 says, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses.”

In David’s day, horses and chariots were symbols of visible strength.

They were what looked dependable.

They were what seemed safe.

They were what men could count on.

In our day, the horses and chariots may look different, but the temptation is the same.

Some trust in a full bank account.

Some trust in a healthy body.

Some trust in a good job.

Some trust in connections.

Some trust in a plan.

Some trust in their own ability to figure things out.

The problem is not that those things have no value.

The problem is that they make very poor gods.

Anything that you trust more than God will eventually disappoint you.

The Lord often allows trouble to come, not because He hates us, but because He is showing us what we are really resting in.

Trouble has a way of exposing the heart.

When life is stable, we may think our faith is strong.

But when the storm comes, we begin to see where our trust really lies.

But trouble not only reveals what we naturally lean on.

Trouble also reveals how weak our own understanding really is.

B. Trouble Reminds Us How Limited We Are

Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”

The command assumes something important.

Our understanding is limited.

We do not see the whole picture.

We don’t know what tomorrow holds.

We do not see what God is protecting us from.

That’s hard for us because we like to understand.

We like clarity.

We like control.

We like to know why.

But there are many moments in life when we simply will not know why.

That doesn’t mean God is absent.

It means we are finite.

Isaiah 55:8 KJV

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

The problem is not that God lacks wisdom.

The problem is that we often want to judge His wisdom by our limited perspective.

Trouble reminds us that we are not God.

And sometimes that is one of the first lessons trust has to learn.

So when trouble reveals what we lean on and how limited we are, it often brings us to a painful place of questioning.

C. Trouble Can Shake Even A Godly Heart

Do you remember the verse we saw earlier in Psalm 13?

Verse 1 is not the cry of a rebel.

It is the cry of David.

He said, Ps 13:1

Psalm 13:1 KJV

1 How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? for ever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me?

He continued in verse 2, Ps 13:2

Psalm 13:2 KJV

2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart daily? How long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?

That’s the language of a hurting believer.

David loved God, but he was struggling.

David had faith, but he was troubled.

That’s important, because sometimes sincere Christians think that if they wrestle in their trust, they must be failing.

But Scripture shows us that even godly people can go through deep seasons of confusion.

John the Baptist asked hard questions from prison.

Job asked hard questions from the ash heap.

Asaph asked hard questions in Psalm 73.

David asked hard questions in Psalm 13.

Trouble can shake even a godly heart.

But thank God, it does not have to destroy it.

The answer is not to pretend the struggle is not real.

The answer is to learn what to do with the struggle when it comes.

And that leads us to the second truth.

If trust is tested in trouble, trust also grows through honest prayer.

II. Trust Grows Through Honest Prayer

One of the great mistakes believers make is thinking trust means silence.

They think that if they ask questions, they must not have faith.

But the Bible shows us something better.

Trust is not pretending you have no questions.

Trust is bringing your questions to God.

A. God Welcomes Honest Questions

In Mark 9 there was a father whose son was tormented by an evil spirit.

He brought his son to Jesus and said,

Mark 9:22 KJV

22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.

That was not polished faith.

That was struggling faith.

That was not the language of a man who had everything figured out.

That was the cry of a desperate father.

And Jesus did not push him away.

Jesus did not say, “Come back when your faith is stronger.”

He challenged him to believe.

Mark 9:23 KJV

23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

The father in desparation, knowing his faith’s limitations, but recognizing he had no where else to go, the Bible says,

Mark 9:24 KJV

24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

Jesus met him in his need.

He healed his son.

That should encourage every believer in the room.

God is not frightened by your questions.

He is not threatened by your confusion.

He does not turn away from the saint who comes honestly and says, “Lord, I do not understand.”

1 Peter 5:7 KJV

7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

If you are hurting, bring it to Jesus.

If you are confused, bring it to Jesus.

If you are afraid, bring it to Jesus.

If you are struggling to trust, bring even that to Him.

When we bring our honest questions to God, we also learn to bring our weak faith to God.

B. God Strengthens Weak Faith

In Mark 9:24 the father cried, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”

That is one of the most honest prayers in the Bible.

He was not saying, “Lord, I have no faith.”

He was saying, “Lord, the faith I have is weak, and I need You to help it.”

That is a prayer God is pleased to hear.

There are times when the strongest prayer you can pray is not some long prayer.

It is a desperate one.

“Lord, I believe.”

“Help my unbelief.”

Sometimes trust begins there.

Not with the bold declaration of someone who has no struggle.

But with the humble cry of someone who knows he can’t manufacture strength on his own.

Faith grows when it is brought to Christ.

The Lord who healed that father’s son is still able to strengthen the faith of His people.

There is another step we must take here.

As God welcomes our honest questions… and strengthens weak faith, He also teaches us to move from prayer into surrender.

C. God Leads Honest Prayer Into Surrender

Prayer is not merely a place to express our desires.

It is also the place where God shapes our hearts to submit to His will.

That is what Proverbs 3:6 is teaching.

“In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

To acknowledge Him is to recognize Him, submit to Him, and yield to His rule.

That means prayer is not only saying, “Lord, here’s what I want.”

It is also saying, “Lord, I place myself under Your wisdom.”

We see this perfectly in the Lord Jesus in Gethsemane.

Matthew 26:39 KJV

39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

That is surrender.

Surrender is not giving up on God.

Surrender is giving yourself to God.

It is saying, “I don’t understand, but I choose to trust You.”

That brings us naturally into the heart of the message.

If trust grows through honest prayer, then trust also requires humble surrender.

III. Trust Requires Humble Surrender

The hardest part of trust is often not asking God for help.

The hardest part is yielding when His way is different than ours.

A. Surrender Rejects Self-Reliance

Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart.”

That is a command against divided dependence.

It means God is not to be one support among many.

He is to be the support.

It means I am not leaning mainly on my plan and then sprinkling a little prayer on top.

To trust the Lord with all thine heart is to reject self-reliance.

It is to say, “Lord, You are wiser than I am.”

The word trust carries the idea of resting yourself upon another.

That is why trust is so humbling.

It forces us to admit that we are not enough on our own.

That leads us to a very important point.

Once surrender rejects self-reliance, it must also refuse to make human understanding the final judge.

B. Surrender Refuses To Make Human Understanding Supreme

“Lean not unto thine own understanding.”

What a needed command that is.

Our understanding is real, but it is not supreme.

Our reasoning matters, but it is not final.

There are times when His path seems confusing.

But faith does not mean we stop thinking.

It means we stop exalting our understanding above God’s wisdom.

Romans 8:28 KJV

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Notice, it does not say all things are good.

It says God works in all things for good.

That means there are painful things.

There will be confusing times.

But in all of them, God is still working.

Trust says, “Lord, I do not understand all that is happening, but I believe You are working in all things.”

That’s not blind faith.

That’s anchored faith.

So, when surrender rejects self-reliance and refuses to make human understanding supreme, it learns to follow God one step at a time.

C. Surrender Walks Depending Daily

Proverbs 3:6 says, “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

God doesn’t promise to show you the whole map.

He promises to direct your paths.

That means trust is lived one step at a time.

One day at a time.

One decision at a time.

One burden at a time.

We often want God to reveal the whole future.

He often gives just enough light for the next step.

Psalm 119:105 KJV

105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And a light unto my path.

A lamp doesn’t usually show the whole road.

It shows enough to keep walking.

That’s how trust often works.

You trust Him for the next step.

Then the next step.

Then the next.

That leads us to one final truth.

If trust requires humble surrender, then trust must also keep walking when life is still unclear.

IV. Trust Walks One Step At A Time

This is where faith becomes practical.

Trust is not merely something you talk about in church.

Trust is what you do on Monday when the problem is still there.

A. Trust Keeps Looking To God’s Character

Why should I trust God?

Not because I understand every detail.

Not because life is easy.

Not because every prayer is answered the way I want.

I trust God because of who He is.

He is faithful.

He is wise.

He is good.

He is constant.

He is holy.

He is true.

When David said, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God,” he was resting in God’s character.

He was saying, “I know who my God is.”

That’s the foundation of trust.

Trust is not confidence that I will get everything I want.

Trust is confidence that God will always be who He has revealed Himself to be.

As trust looks to God’s character, it also learns …

B. Trust Takes The Next Faithful Step

Some people want trust to mean instant peace and total clarity.

Very often it doesn’t.

Sometimes trust looks like taking the next step while your heart is still tender.

It looks like opening the Bible again.

It looks like praying again.

It looks like coming to church again.

It looks like obeying again.

It looks like refusing to run from God when life is hard.

Trust is not passive.

Trust is active.

It says, “Lord, I will keep walking in the light You have given me.”

That father in Mark 9 took the next step by bringing his son to Jesus.

David took the next step by crying out to God instead of abandoning Him.

The Lord Jesus took the next step by yielding to the Father’s will in Gethsemane.

The Christian life is lived like that.

One obedient step at a time.

So, as trust looks to God’s character and takes the next faithful step, it also rests in the work of Christ.

C. Trust Finds Its Strongest Ground In Christ

At the deepest level, why should I trust God?

Because He has already shown His heart at the cross.

Romans 8:32 KJV

32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

If God gave His Son for sinners, then surely we can trust that He is not going to be careless with His children.

The cross is the great proof of God’s love.

The resurrection is the great proof of God’s power.

Jesus Christ stepped into our darkness, bore our sin, died in our place, and rose again.

That means we do not trust a distant God.

We trust a God who came near.

We do not trust a powerless God.

We trust a risen Savior.

If you want to know whether God is trustworthy, don’t look first at your circumstances.

Look first at Christ.

At Calvary, God said forever, “You can trust My heart.”

Conclusion

So why should I trust God?

Because He is more trustworthy than anything else you could lean on.

Some trust in chariots.

Some trust in horses.

Some trust in money.

Some trust in health.

Some trust in plans.

Some trust in feelings.

Some trust in themselves.

But all of those things can fail.

The Lord can not fail.

Trust is tested in trouble.

Trust grows through honest prayer.

But trust requires humble surrender.

And so…Trust walks one step at a time.

And my dear friend, if you are in a dark place right now, don’t think trust means you need to pretend.

Bring your questions to God.

Bring your fears to God.

Bring your tears to God.

Bring your weak faith to God.

And then choose, by His grace, to trust Him anyway.

You may not understand the plan.

But you can trust the God who has the plan.

You may not know what tomorrow holds.

But you can know the One who holds tomorrow.

Perhaps there is someone here this morning who does not know Christ as Savior.

The greatest area in which you need to trust God is the matter of your soul.

You cannot save yourself.

You cannot forgive your own sins.

You cannot make yourself right with God.

But Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for sinners and rose again.

If you will turn from your sin and trust Him by faith, He will save you.

And for the child of God, let this be the settled confession of your heart.

Some trust in chariots, and some in horses.

But we will remember the name of the LORD our God.