Imagine standing in front of a stranger and a personal friend. Who would you ask for an opinion on your new hairstyle or how to handle your teenager’s behavior? Who would you trust with a prayer request or an embarrassing incident?
It’s a no brainer. We trust the people we know.
I recently read a fantastic blog by author and speaker, Alicia Bruxvoort. Click here to have a read. It is totally worth 3 minutes of your day.
Here’s the premise: Knowing God makes it easier to trust God. Alicia states, “Trust doesn’t sprout in the absence of doubt. It grows in the presence of relationship.” Drawn from this verse:
“Those who know the LORD trust Him, because He will not leave those who come to Him.” Psalm 9:10 NCV
If we know Him, we trust Him. It’s a direct correlation. The bigger the trust factor the more intimacy is required. Conversely, to the extent we know Him, the easier it is to trust Him. Is God a stranger to you? Acquaintance? Friend? Close friend? Your spot on this spectrum will indicate your comfort level of trust.
I realize “knowing God” is a popular church phrase we liberally throw around, but what does it mean in practical terms? Simply put:
You take Him at His word.
It’s the same method we use to know people. My husband doesn’t like onions. At. All. Not lying on a burger or floating in a stew. Not sprinkled in a sauce or in anything you chew. (Sam I am!) If you hand me an onion casserole and confidently predict my husband’s delight you will be wrong. I know he doesn’t like them. Why?
Because he told me.
It’s the same reason I know my son likes to sleep with a flat pillow and my neighbor is obsessed with cats. My understanding of them comes from their personal assessments and when that’s contradicted, I quickly raise an eyebrow and quip, “That’s not who he/she is.”
The same principle applies with God.
God states He will provide for you, give you purpose, be your shelter, etc. The question is, do you take Him at His word? Or do circumstances hijack your understanding of Him? Knowing God means you pipe up when life appears to contradict His Word. You stand on what you can’t see in the face of what you do see and say, “That’s not who He is.”
This situation is too big for Him.
That’s not who He is (Matthew 19:26).
There is no way He could forgive me for ___________.
That’s not who He is (1 John 1:9).
He is not in control anymore. He has forgotten me.
That’s not who He is (Psalm 139:16)
Nothing good can come from _________ in my life.
That’s not who He is (Romans 8:28)
Circumstances can be just as convincing as someone boldly assuming her onion casserole will thrill my husband’s palate. Remember, though, circumstances only have one thing on their side: circumstances! And those can quickly change!
It is extremely difficult to physically look at a situation and see it through eyes of faith.
That is where our rubber faith meets the road, though! We either believe what God says about Himself or we don’t. Know this: God’s description of Himself does not and will not include circumstances. Why?
Because circumstances change and He doesn’t.
Oh, to trust Him more...
Don’t let your circumstances dictate your understanding of Him. Make a list of who God says He is and stand on it. Especially in the face of uncertainty!
Let the One who doesn’t change dictate how to respond to what is always changing.
Be Intentional
What area do you struggle to trust Him with? What do you know about Him in reference to that area? Write it down and regularly remind yourself of it!
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