Taking God at His word not so easy after all

No more crying, no more complaining,

I believe Your Word is true.

Lord, You promised never to leave me lonely,

So this is what I’m going to do.

– I Will Trust in You LordAnthony Brown and Group TherAPy

Even the most ardent Christian will accept that when it comes to trusting God completely, the heart is willing, but the flesh is sometimes weak. In fact, whatever the sphere of human interaction, trusting unconditionally is hard for many to do.

In Christendom, some obviously devout followers struggle to believe the Word of God that says that whatever situation you are facing is under God’s control. They worry and fret, praying yet at the same time giving themselves sleepless nights trying to figure out a man-made solution.

Family and Religion sought the view of the Reverend Carlene Bryan of Dominion in Christ International Ministries Church for insight on the issue.

Defining ‘true trust’, Bryan said that it goes deeper than standing in faith for specific things.

“True trust is one that cannot be shaken even though the circumstances you face may be going in the opposite direction of what the Word of God says. True trust remains steadfast even when the things we have prayed for, called in, and exercised faith for remain unchanged with no sign of manifestation,” Bryan pointed out.

For her, trusting God will require not knowing how God is going to accomplish what needs to be done and not knowing when He will do it.

Bryan said that trust is not a process that can be learnt through osmosis, but through simply letting go and learning to exercise that emotion.

“Numbers 23:19 states, ‘ God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?’” she quoted, stressing the confidence that one should have in trusting God.

Bryan said that although some Christians will never admit it, truth be told, they are actually treating God as if He is a liar.

“We attend church, and we shout and agree with what is preached about the goodness of our God. Yet, when Satan throws us a curveball with sickness or an unexpected bill shows up, we no longer trust the God who says, ‘ I am the Lord that healeth thee’ or, ‘ God shall supply all our needs.’ In effect, we label Him a liar,” she opined.

One mistake some Christians make, according to Bryan, is thinking that trust means that they can keep doing what they think is right in their own eyes and making their own decisions without ever consulting God.

The consequence of that kind of behaviour, she said, is that when believers hit a bump in the road, they expect God to show up like a knight in shining armour to clean up whatever mess they had made along the way.

“That is not the way of trust. On the contrary, when we trust God, we consult with Him, value His word, accept His directions, and follow His instructions. We aren’t truly trusting God unless we do these things,” she stressed, adding that God is looking for people who do things His way. Doing that, she said, will require a commitment on Christians’ part to studying His Word.

Bryan said that many persons refer to knowing about God through their limited knowledge of the Bible, but in reality, do not know Him.

“When we know God intimately, then our trust deepens and our confidence increases even in times of opposition. The Greek word for ‘know’ in this passage means ‘to have trust in the truth; to have a relationship with the truth’. Isn’t that a revelation?” the reverend said.