We love being in control. We always look for that sense of security – be it in our finances, relationships, career, and even in our ministries. And one of our greatest fears is the fear of the unknown. We always want to be sure of what’s coming.
To not know the future makes us vulnerable to fear, worry, panic, and anxiety, which later leads to a lot of other negative thoughts and actions such as grumbling, complaining, and even blaming God and other people, just like what happened to the Israelites in Exodus 16 after their deliverance from Egypt. Yet even during these times, God proves to us over and over again that He is the ever-faithful God whom we can completely depend on to provide everything that we need. Still, why do we have a hard time trusting God?
The Issue of Trust and Distrust
When it comes to being trustworthy and dependable, we all fall short. This is one of the reasons we can find it hard to trust God. We measure trust based on what we did or what others did to us. We always remember those times that we didn’t live up to the things we said we would do — all those memories of our broken promises, commitments, failures, and shortcomings. Likewise, we tend to remember every painful memory when others break our trust. Because of the guilt, we find it hard to forgive ourselves and others; which in turn, affects our ability to trust.
But we have to see God differently. He is a God who will never break our trust. When the Israelites complained to Moses about not having food and water in the wilderness, ( not because God didn’t want to provide, but simply because they didn’t trust Him), God still provided for them by sending overflowing manna from heaven, quails, and even water from the rock ( not just once, but twice!). Exodus 16-17
Here we see that God’s provisions were not conditional on whether the Israelites trusted Him or not. Despite the Israelites’ failure to trust Him, God still miraculously gave them all their needs to prove that He is a dependable and faithful provider. God is completely trustworthy. Therefore, we can trust Him. Even if we fail Him at times, He will never fail us. What He promised, He will do.
Learning to Trust God
To trust God is to acknowledge that He is the One who provides everything that we need. It is to acknowledge that God is the only “One” whom we can depend on. If we want to learn how to trust God completely, we must take Him at His Word (even if the Word doesn’t make any sense) and trust His every work (even if you can’t see how He’s working things out).
God wants us to trust in Him completely for our daily bread and not just in our ability to store up His provisions. It’s worth noticing that God allowed them to be in the wilderness where everything was scarce. Why? So that the Israelites would see how powerful, faithful and trustworthy He is. God took away every possible source that the Israelites could rely on so that they will realize that God is the ONLY trustworthy source and that God is ALL that they ever need. (Deuteronomy 8:3, John 6:25-59).
God wants us to be reminded that we can’t do things on our own and that He is the provider of everything that we need. It’s time to do away with complaining, grumbling, and blaming others. It’s time to forgive ourselves from our past failure and it’s about time that we also forgive those who have broken our trust. We can’t do this in our own strength. We need God’s grace to be able to extend forgiveness and to be able to trust again.
Do you have some pressing needs right now? Today, God is assuring you: You can depend on Him to provide for you and He will never break your trust.
