How do you know you trust the Lord? Any book recommendations on learning to trust God?
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Trust in God deepens as we pass through the refining fire of trials, emerging stronger, purified, and closer to His heart.
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Itās a battle, and not a battle thatās āone and doneā. Itās daily. Sometimes hourly. Iāve been a practicing Christian since early childhood. Iām turning 60 in October. I STILL have moments. When I have that feeling I just pray harder, and very specifically.
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Years ago, I asked God for patience. You know what happened? He put me in situations that tested my patience and it was often very frustrating. However, I look back and realize this was the way he taught me how to be patient.
I suspect itās similar with trust or, as you said, letting go and letting God. Ask for it, if you dare, and God may bring you circumstances that cause you to trust in Him.
Iām no expert here, and after many years as a Christian, still lack trust (and patience) at times.
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Thatās the thing; weāre all still a work in progress.
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The whole idea of āletting go and letting Godā isnāt entirely biblical. Philippians 2:12 says to āwork out your salvation with fear and trembling.ā Not āsit back and do nothing while God works out your salvation.ā I hope that makes sense.
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āAbsolute Surrenderā by Andrew Murray comes to mind, and was helpful to me. It helped me come to terms with the idea that it was in Him both to will and to do of His good pleasure, and what that means.
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Thank you for sharing - thatās the battle Iām facing, but am thankful to hear itās not just me!
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Feels a bit scary to ask for, but I think youāre right. Iāll continue to pray for trust and situations that cause trust. Thank you for sharing!
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That makes sense! Iāve heard that phrase a lot but only desire to apply it to trust in Him. Definitely want to do the work in maintaining and growing my salvation.
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Iāll check it out! Thank you for the recommendation.
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Yes indeed. God is refining us through constant trials, tribulations and testing. These are the constant battles. God is the vinedresser. We are the branches. We will be pruned, so we can bear more fruit. John 15:2
It is Gods will. Seek and you will find, but be prepared for what comes next. You will find that God brings to light what you struggle with and gives you all that you need to overcome it.
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Waiting is something we all experience, and letās be honestāitās not usually enjoyable. We wait for our kids to grow, we wait in traffic, we wait in line at the supermarket, we wait for a doctorās report, and we wait for God to answer our prayers.
The Bible speaks of waiting often. Over and over, we are encouraged to wait on the Lord. Isaiah 40:31 reminds us:
āBut those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.ā
Waiting on God is not easy. We get anxious, impatient, and sometimes feel like He is taking too long. But one thing I know for sureāit is always worthwhile. I once heard a wise person say, āItās better to be a year behind God than one step ahead of Him.ā His timing is perfect, and when we wait, we allow Him to work in ways beyond our understanding.
While you wait, ask God to renew your strength. Ask Him to give you patience. He will empower you and bring peace to your heart as you step closer to Him.
Reflection Questions:
- In what areas of your life are you struggling with waiting?
- How has waiting on God in the past led to unexpected blessings?
- What emotions rise up in you when things donāt happen in your timing? How can you surrender those feelings to God?
- How can you use seasons of waiting to grow in faith and trust in Him?
A Prayer for Patience and Trust:
Heavenly Father,
I come before You, acknowledging that waiting is hard. I often feel restless and anxious, wanting answers and solutions right away. But Your Word reminds me that those who wait on You will be strengthened. Lord, teach me to trust in Your perfect timing. Give me patience when I feel frustrated and peace when I feel uncertain. Help me to surrender my plans and desires, knowing that Your ways are higher than mine. Thank You for walking with me through every season. I choose to rest in Your promises today. In Jesusā name, Amen.
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How do you know you are not trusting God?
If you are a Christian you are trusting God for the forgiveness of your sins and for a place in heaven.
No where does the bible teach that we are to let go and let God.
1 Cor 10: 13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
Look again at these verse, we will be tempted and we are to resist that temptation.
That takes effort, there is no letting go, rather it is the opposite, take hold, dig in and fight.
Yes it says it says a way of escape will be provided, but thzt is when one cannot struggle on any more.
Trust also means have faith and faith is a gift from God, again if you are a Christian, if you believe that Jesus is your Lord and Saviour and you are living for him, then you have faith.
Want to grow your faith.?
Faith is like a muscle, it grows with use. So volunteer to serve in your church, join a street evangelism team and use your faith.
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How to ālet go and let Godā:
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Surrender in prayer. Tell God exactly what youāre holding onto, and ask Him to take it.
- Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:6-7
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Trust through action. Obey even when you donāt see the full picture.
- Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. - Proverbs 3:5-6
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Rest in His character. Remember who He is, not just what He does.
- Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! - Psalm 46:10
How you know youāre trusting Him:
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You obey without full clarity.
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You feel peace where you once felt panic.
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You stop forcing outcomes and start waiting with faith.
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āTrust in the Lord with all thine heart ;and lean not unto thine own understanding ā
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A work in progress i agree
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You learn to trust God byā¦letting Him make your decisions for you. Of course this means that you have to be talking to Him all day long, which isnāt a bad thing!
When we have something bad happen we all run to the Lord. Lord help us! But what about when something good happens, like, you got paid and are going to go to the grocery store? Invite Him with you. You can talk to Him in your mind by purposing to in your heart. That way you donāt have to be praying in the produce department, lol. I did this a few times, to the grocery store! Lord should I buy this? (No). Lord should I buy this? (No!!) How about this? (No, I wish you would eat regular foodā¦)
So Iām not terribly fond of going grocery shopping with Him, I sadly admit. But when money decisions come up it is best to defer to Him. Right when I had just retired, I got one of my very last side jobs privately. His furnace didnāt work. I didnāt have the part so I went to go buy it and as I was driving back to His I was trying to figure out how much I should charge the man. I wanted to give him a smoking deal and bless him because I could see that he was poor. So I asked the Lord, Lord how much should I charge him? He answered instantly, He said donāt charge him anything. Now Iāve never been greedy but I do kind of like covering the gas and maybe a few bucks in my pocket. I didnāt even get to ask Him, He knew of my hesitation to charge zero $ and He said, didnāt you give your life to me? I said yes. He said then I own it and it is my business because you gave it to me (Uhhh, Yes sir Lord)
You see therein is the catch in letting go completely and deferring to the Lord on everything. That catch is, I guarantee you that the Lord WIll tell you to do things that you wont want to do! He tests us in this way. So Brother, it takes radical obedience to let go and let Godā¦
I have been on both sides of it. I have passed tests, and I have failed tests. But Iām getting betterā¦
Let Go and Let God?
Question
Is ālet go and let Godā biblical? I sit here waiting on God and nothing ever changes.
Answer
āLet go and let Godā circulates around the church and the internet like it was as authoritative as Scripture. Of course itās dangerous to treat a slogan as Scripture, but why especially so in this case?
First, we ā meaning you and I ā donāt let God do anything. God is sovereign and he will do whatever he pleases. He doesnāt need to consult us. He doesnāt need our permission or our āletting.ā God is sovereign over all the earth. He is sovereign over all of everything created: every person, event, moment in time, even over such miracles as the time of the cross. He does everything he pleases (Exod. 15:18; 1 Chron. 29:11-12; 2 Chron. 20:6; Psa. 22:28). While retaining the right to control all things, God actually and actively ordains and brings to pass everything that takes place in the entire universe (Deut. 32:39; 1 Sam. 2:6-8; Job 9:12; 12:6-10; Psa. 33:11; 115:3; 135:6; Isa. 14:24; 45:7; Acts 15:17-18; Eph. 1:11). He controls the simple roll of dice (Prov. 16:33) as well as the greatest events of earthās history (e.g. Isa. 45:1-4). He is brings all things to pass according to his will. He governs and superintends ācoincidentalā happenings (1 Kings 22:20, 34, 37), the wicked actions of men (Gen. 45:5; 50:20; Exod. 4:21; Judges 14:1-4; Psa. 76:10; Prov. 16:4; 21:1; Isa. 44:28; Amos 3:6; Acts 2:22-23; 4:27-28), the good deeds of men (John 15:16; Eph. 2:10; Phil. 2:12-13), the actions of both evil spirits and good angels (1 Sam. 16:14-16; 1 Kings 22:19-23; 1 Chron. 21:1; 2 Sam. 24:1; Psa. 103:20-21; 104:4), the habits of animals (Num. 22:28; 1 Kings 17:4; Psa. 29:9; Jer. 8:7; Ezek. 32:4; Dan. 6:22), and the operations of all creation (Gen. 8:22; Psa. 104:5-10, 13-14, 19-20; Mark 4:39).
Indeed, God is absolutely sovereign over all. We donāt let him do anything at all. So, the very first and fourth words of the slogan are in error and make the whole thought rather ludicrous.
Second, the slogan has its roots in what is called Keswick theology [1]. This theological system assumes that Christians essentially have two experiences: regeneration and then a second blessing of a higher life experience through surrender and faith, or āletting go and letting God.ā Keswick theology fails to recognize that all Christians are both justified and being sanctified, are spiritual, are Spirit-baptized, are Spirit-filled to various degrees, and abide in Christ to various degrees (No Quick Fix, by Andrew Naselli). One doesnāt need a second blessing to get what they already have in Christ alone. As Peter wrote, āHis divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellenceā (2 Pet. 1:3).
Third, while God is absolutely sovereign, he doesnāt mean for us to sit around and do nothing about problems. That is āletting goā too far. Paul says in Philippians 2:12, āTherefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.ā
Genuine faith is an active - not passive - āworkingā faith. Rather than letting go, faith continually grasps onto God and his ways and word. It acts. God makes use of secondary means like prayer, praise, his Word, godly wisdom, fellowship with others, and faithful activity, etc. (see WCF, V.3). Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6). So, Godās command is not to let go but to continually grasp (cf. Isa. 45:22; Heb. 12:2). The more one grasps onto God, the more they let go of their personal crutches in this life. And this continual grasping only happens by grace ā āfor it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasureā (Phil. 2:13).
Quick fix slogans should never be substituted for Scripture, and the āLet Go and Let Godā slogan is bad theology that can be horribly misleading for living oneās life. So, as God works in your life, let go of the slogan and grasp onto God, and grasp him continually.
Just as a reminder, as Christians, God already has us in his grasp and will never let us go (John 10:28, 29; cf. John 6:37, 39).
[1] Proponents of Keswick theology include: Amy Carmichael, Charles Finney, Frances Havergal, Evan H. Hopkins, Robert C. McQuilkin, F. B. Meyer, H. Moule, Andrew Murray, Hannah Whitall Smith, J. Hudson Taylor, W. H. Griffith Thomas, and John Wesley. Many have been influenced by it including, Lewis Chafer, D. L. Moody, Charles Ryrie, A. B. Simpson, and R. A. Torrey.
Sorry for being a āparty pooperā but āLet go and let Godā is not biblical.
J.