How many times have we heard a ourselves say “Yes, I trust You Lord” but come the trials and sufferings in life, we panic and immerse ourselves in worry, hopelessness and even depression.

It is most likely that at least once in our Christian journey, there was a moment where we said “Yes I do trust You God, BUT…”. That BUT could mean a lot of things such as “BUT Lord, I think I can handle this better than You can” or “BUT God, I just can’t trust You on this. I don’t even know if You are really there.”

No believer is immune to these thoughts because human as we are, we are prone to these weaknesses. But God, in His graciousness, always has ways to help us out in strengthening these weaknesses, particularly in the area of trusting God. Here are four insights to help you deepen your trust in God.

1. Fact – Faith – Feeling

Our emotions can definitely deceive us. The Bible says in Jeremiah 17:9 that, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure, who can understand it?”

It is quite easy to be overwhelmed and eventually be blinded by our emotions, especially when we are hurting and in deep pain. And it is usually from these heart-drowning moments where questions and doubts over the sovereignty of God over our lives comes into question.

While these are normal human reactions, how we respond to them will help us get through and that involves exercising our trust in Him. Because we cannot rely on our hearts to direct us, it would be helpful to use the FACT – FAITH – FEELING technique. When we know a fact, then we can have faith on that fact, and the feeling will follow.

For example, let us look into the facts of God’s character. It is crucial that we know His attributes because we need to know someone in order to trust them. We’ll start with three facts about God that can help us trust Him.

First, He is omniscient in that He knows what happened and will happen; His eyes search every corner of the world. Second, He is omnipotent, meaning so powerful that there is nothing impossible for Him. And third, He is omnipresent, which means God is everywhere which shows just how powerful He is.

When we know of these three basic facts about Him, we can have faith on these attributes, no matter how we may otherwise feel, because eventually, the feeling of believing will just follow. Much like Job’s faith in God, despite his severe trials and sufferings, a deepened trust is one where trust is still there despite what the heart bitterly feels.

2. Talk to others who have gone through the same experiences

It helps to have a community of believers who can help deepen our trust in Him. Hebrews 10:25 tells us not to give up meeting with one another, but to encourage each other. Christianity is not meant to be a solitary life. It is meant to live in community with other believers to stir up each other’s trust in the Lord.

When we seek support from our Christian brothers and sisters, we allow ourselves to be encouraged and strengthened by their testimonies about how they trusted God and the outcome of that trust, thereby helping deepen our trust in Him.

3. Do personal quiet time

While it is good to have a small group or a community of believers to speak life into our hearts and encourage us to keep persevering and trusting God, ultimately we must go back to the real source of our spiritual strength and wisdom and that is God Himself.

It is important to spend personal quiet time with Him, including pausing to pray, journal and read the Bible and see what He has to say over a situation.

God provides the direction we need through His Scripture and we must ask the Holy Spirit to give us the spiritual eyes to see the special revelation God has for us and our situation as we read His Word.

When He gives this special revelation, this then give us the direction on what to act upon or obey on that will really take us into deep waters where our faith and trust in Him will really be tested.

For example, one of the most common situations among Christians is that one must not be unequally yoked with an unbeliever (2 Corinthians 6:14). A Christian who is involved with a non-Christian and is struggling with this type of relationship will find that this is God’s revelation for him/her.

How much this Christian trusts God will depend on how he/she will respond to this command. Can I trust God enough to let go of this person and relationship He clearly does not want? Or should I just keep trusting my own human wisdom and just try to keep things working in this relationship? Can I really let go and let God?

One thing is for sure, special revelations during our quiet times will definitely take our faith and trust in Him to deep waters where we either trust Him to keep us floating or not.

4. Recall the times God has brought you through difficult situations

Humans are forgetful people. Just like in history, it was so easy for the Israelites to forget all that God had done for them when He delivered them out of Egypt. This was evident in how they complained about eating manna day in and day out, the food that God rained down on them each day for their daily provisions.

Whenever we fall into the trap of complaining over our current circumstances and are tempted to not trust God anymore, we must hold captive every thought (2 Corinthians 10:5) and make them obedient to Christ.

Some Christians are aware of their forgetfulness and tendency to complain and distrust God. That is why they have consciously taken down notes of their answered prayers so as to not forget how faithful God was and still in their lives. By looking at previous answered prayers, their resolve to trust in God is deepened and strengthened.

God rocks our boat for a reason

God has peculiar ways of having us to go through circumstances that we don’t understand. But as in Exodus 33:15 says, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.”

He desires fellowship with us. That is why while Christianity does not guarantee a problem-free life, we can be sure that as God rocks our boat, it is always for good reasons. Two of those reasons are that He desires our hearts to be fully dependent on Him and that we are to be in constant fellowship with Him in the deepest and most intimate and profound ways.

Living By Faith – free eBook Faithworks Centre, Prince Edward Island is a church where people from all walks of life join to grow in faith. It’s not easy to live a life of faith in today’s fast-paced world. That’s why we’ve created a 17-page, 3-part guide to Living By Faith. Learn about how to strengthen your faith, follow Jesus’ command to love and serve others, and understand how love casts out fear. Get your free guide by just entering your email address below!