8 Ways to Trust God More

Have you paid attention to what is written on every piece of US currency?

“In God we trust”

It might just be one of the most hypocritical statements ever written!

When you have a little cash in your pocket it’s easy to tell people that you trust God after all why wouldn’t you? If God is the reason for the cash in your pocket then it’s a no-brainer!

However, what happens when the cash is gone? How do we react in the face hardship? Often we find ourselves questioning God and our trust in the Lord can easily slip.

In Psalm 37 David struggled with trusting God while he was going through trials and yet his enemies seemed to be successful.

Psa 37:1-8
(1) Davidic. Don’t be angry because of those who do evil, do not be jealous because of those who commit iniquity.
(2) Indeed, they soon will wither like grass, and like green herbs they will fade away.
(3) Trust in the LORD and do good. Dwell in the land and feed on faithfulness.
(4) Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
(5) Commit your way to the LORD; Trust him, and he will act.
(6) He will bring forth your righteousness as a light, and your justice as the noonday sun.
(7) Be silent in the LORD’s presence and wait patiently for him. Don’t be angry because of the one whose way prospers or the one who implements evil schemes.
(8) Calm your anger and abandon wrath. Don’t be angry—it only leads to evil.

Eight ways to trust God more

Below are principles I derived from the commands given in Psalm 37.

1. Don’t compare your lot in life to others (verses 1-2)
Comparing ourselves to those who are richer, more beautiful, healthier or stronger will never increase our trust in God, rather it is like saying that God is not fair and he doesn’t know what’s best. This kind of comparison only destroys our trust in God.

2. Do good (verse 3)
The simplicity of this statement is both beautiful and profound. So often our lack of trust is seen in a lack of obedience. When we begin to obey we also foster an attitude of trust which in turn results in more obedience.

3. Do what God has called you to do (verse 3)
David literally tells the reader to “dwell in the land”. In other words David wanted the people of Israel to be busy with what God called them to do. When we focus on ministry and service to others we find ourselves in situations that naturally lead to increased trust in God.

4. Focus on God’s faithfulness (verse 3)
One of the biggest reasons we often don’t trust God is because we do not understand his faithfulness towards us! We need to constantly be studying God’s Word to gain a deeper understanding of who God is. We also need to learn to identify God’s faithfulness in our own lives.

5. Enjoy God’s presence (verse 4)
It’s extremely hard not to trust God if you are regularly spending time in his presence. It’s those people with whom we spend the most time and are closest to us that we can trust to the deepest level. We can’t expect to trust God if we have not cultivated that trust through spending time with him.

6. Give God your all (verse 5)
Sometimes we fail to trust God because we have not turned over all aspects of our life to him. Our failure to trust him is really a fear of what God might do in our life if we do trust him.

7. Be patient with the results (verse 7)
David instructs us to be patient. God’s timing doesn’t always match our timing but his timing is best. If we are patient he will act, he will judge and he will reward.

8. Don’t be an angry person (verses 7- 8)
No one wants to trust an angry person and an angry person very rarely puts his trust in others. When we harbor anger towards others and towards God it puts up a huge barrier for the trust that needs to be there.

Question: what can you add to this list? What other simple ways can you increase your trust in God?