Learning to Trust

"How happy are those who have learned how to praise You; those who journey through life by the light of Your face.”

Psalm 89:15 (The Voice)

Have you ever been jealous of someone else’s faith?

C’mon, be honest. It may be a friend, a co-worker, or even someone whose teachings or books you like to read. There is a moment when you wonder, “Why does their faith seem so much stronger than mine? Why can’t I trust God the way they do?”

I will admit that I had this experience a lot in the earlier years of my faith journey.

It was fantastic to have amazing mentors and Christ-followers around to guide me, but sometimes (not by anything they intentionally did) I felt broken and inferior. Why were they so much farther along than me? What was I doing wrong? Would I ever have faith and trust in God like theirs?

I think I unwittingly assumed that accepting Jesus as my Savior meant I would wake up the next day and “poof!” have an amazing faith and trust in him.

This was not the case.

Don’t get me wrong, I did believe in him, but the faith and trust piece took a bit longer to cultivate.

It has taken YEARS to form a bond of trust with my Savior and when life gets rocky this is still challenged. I wish this were not the case, but my humanness always has a way of creeping in on things. Yet every day, every year, my trust grows.

The journey has not gotten easier, but the companionship of Jesus along the way has become more real to me with each passing day.

So how did I get to this place of trust with Jesus?

To paraphrase Psalm 89:15, I LEARNED to trust and walk through life with him.

That’s it – I had to LEARN how to trust him. I know, probably not the quick “3-Steps to Trusting Jesus” plan you were hoping to hear. However, tangibly learning through life experiences is the best way to solidify trust.

Over the years through joy and pain, through the highest highs and lowest lows, Jesus has taught me that he was present and enough.

Keep in mind, learning anything, even trusting Jesus, is hard work and takes time.

Have you ever witnessed a child learning to walk? How many times do they fall down before they actually get it? Then when they do start walking they’re still wobbly and shaky for a while. Still, with each passing day, their legs get stronger and they become steadier. The same is true for learning to trust Jesus. With each passing day, your faith muscle becomes stronger and your trust is steadier.

Give yourself a little grace on your faith journey and keep at it. As the years go by, if you are seeking to “journey through life by the light of his face,” he will continue to grow and stretch your faith. Then one day you too will wake up and see just how far you’ve come and hopefully have the opportunity to be the voice that encourages another along the way.

May God abundantly bless you on your journey with him and may you LEARNto trust him more!

For Your Reflection

Learning to trust Jesus is not easy, but it is worth the hard work. What gets in the way of you trusting him? Is it possible that you are farther along than you use to be? Spend some time reflecting on how far you’ve come– you may be surprised!