Faith vs. Trust

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen."  Hebrews 11:1

Ask most people if they believe in God and they will tell you yes, they have faith that God exists.  Some will even tell you that they have a personal relationship with Him and that they talk to Him on a regular basis.  Through reading the Bible and through prayer, they will say that they can hear God's voice and know what He wants for their lives.

Now, take those same people and ask them if they trust God. Again, without hesitation, most would tell you yes.  Now ask them what trusting God means.  Not many can define trusting God so easily.  What does it really mean to trust Him?

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding."  Proverbs 3:5

The Hebrew word for "Trust" in this verse is: ba ̂t ̣ach  (baw-takh'), which means to be bold, confident, secure, sure.

Bold?  Confident?  Secure?  Sure?  Really?  Did I read that right?  Did it really say Secure?  Ironically, those of us that say we trust God do not usually feel very bold...confident...secure...sure.  If we did, not only our attitudes but also our actions would be completely different.

I have recently been confronted with this unsettling reality myself.  Circumstances in life have been excruciatingly painful, yet I keep saying that I trust the Lord to take care of me.  I have said it so many times, in fact, that I actually start to believe it.  Sadly, however, my actions prove my words to be nothing more than idle talk.  You see, if I truly trusted Him, I would not need to question every choice He makes, because honestly the reasons would not matter.  God does not have to justify Himself to me.  And most of the time His answers would probably not make a lot of sense to me anyway.  Then what?  I stand in judgment of Him and why He has allowed certain things to happen?  That is one thing I can say boldly, confidently, securely, and with all assurance - I do not want to ever be in that position!!  Yet sadly, that is exactly where my actions place me.  I am continually asking God why He has not only allowed these things to happen, but more importantly why they continue to linger and cause so much hurt and pain.

"'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' declares the LORD.  'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.'"  Isaiah 55:8-9

If I truly trusted Him, I would not allow depression to sweep over me so easily and take control of my entire being.  When depressed, I become rather dysfunctional, much to the detriment of my husband and my children.  It is during these times that I am learning to claim the truths I have found in Psalm 42 & 43.  I encourage you to look these verses up and study them.  Pray over them and ask God to give you wisdom and revelation as He speaks to you through His Word.  There are only sixteen verses between the two chapters, but so much truth and promise rests inside of them.

After you have studied them, I would love to hear back from you.  I would love to hear how our Lord is teaching each of us through sharing with one another.  "As iron sharpens iron", I encourage you to sharpen me with your insights.  I cannot wait to hear what truths God has for us as we dig into His Word together...