I have been a Christian since as long as I can remember. I was blessed to grow up in a home with two godly parents who taught me from the moment I was born that Jesus was THE answer and, more importantly, walked this out in their daily life. However, watching someone live their life for God and doing it yourself are two very different things – not to mention adopting a lifestyle that is 100% dependent on another being is, frankly, unnatural. Even as children we rebel against our parents because at the heart of all humanity is a lust for independence. Despite growing up in the church and calling myself a Christian, it took me a long time to come to a place where I truly depended on God and trusted him with everything. Honestly, I’m still working on it.
The question I had (and often still have) is, “How do I know I can trust God?” I wasn’t convinced that I could surrender everything to him and still land on my feet. How could anyone have that certainty? For me, the answer came through one of my favorite apostles, Peter. In Matthew 14, Peter steps out of a boat to walk on water towards Jesus. This is an act of faith and trust in God (because most people have a really hard time walking on water). My question is, “How did he know it was going to work?” How did Peter know he could walk on water? I’m guessing he didn’t know if he could, but he knew Jesus, he knew Jesus was good, and he knew he wanted to be with Jesus. For Peter and for us, the key to trusting God is knowing God. He stepped out of the boat because he had faith in Christ to enable him to get where he needed to be, which was by Jesus’ side.
For Peter and for us, the key to trusting God is knowing God.
For all of us this is the answer. Our faith in God is entirely dependent on our knowledge of God, which comes through proximity and intimacy with him. If you are wrestling with trusting God, I encourage you to spend time in the Bible, even if it is just a verse a day. Also, come to him in prayer. When you pray don’t make it some grand speech, just talk to God as a friend and leave time for your friend to respond – wait upon the Lord.
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.” Psalm 37:4-5
Commit yourself to God, set yourself before him in the Word and in prayer. Get to know him, then you will have the faith to move and you will see him act. The more we understand him, his nature and his character, the more apt we will be to step out of the boat towards him. Step out of the boat even if, like Peter, you panic and start to sink. Jesus will be there to pull you out, save you, and set you back on solid ground or…water.
Our Discipleship Training School is a great place to learn how to trust God more.
