As we enter as fresh, new year, wherever we are on spiritual journey with Jesus Christ it is crucial that we start laying or keep building upon a solid foundation of trusting God! Christians always face hard trials that test our faith but why is it that we persevere, continuing to rely upon and trust God?  It is because we know that God is inherently good and God has been good to us in ways we don’t even know, covering our lives with mercy and grace! God knows your turmoil (within and without). Life’s turmoils are what lures you away onto the foggy and lonely side roads of doubt and questioning God. Believer, these times are tests! Expect faith trials but never forget Jesus’ words: “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.” (Rev. 3:11) Hold on to your blessed righteousness in Christ, cherishing biblical truth and obey it! God’s Word is chock full of power pouring strength into your soul, help you endure and enjoy while navigating the world’s chaos.

 

The two verses below surfaced in my thoughts as Christmas week drew near. I had stilled myself to tap into Christ’s centering presence and listen for the Spirit’s voice. They were fresh timber for my flame of faith.

 

                    “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you

                     will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

 

                    “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw

                    off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with                                                            perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and

                    perfecter of faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2a)

 

Next in this writing you will find excerpts from a thought-provoking article where a pastor of discipleship is discussing the core reason, why believers trust God (according to the Holy Bible). Do not fall away in shame if doubting God’s Word is where you find yourself occasionally. The Lord knows! Keep picking up your cross and following Jesus!

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“Why Should I Trust God?”

 

(Excerpts from article by Pastor Dave Carlos. Shared by Our Daily Bread Ministries online.)

 

“…From someone so educated and invested in God’s work, I expected questions about the minutiae of our statement of faith or church polity. I was not ready for what I heard.  He wasn’t questioning our church. He was questioning his faith.

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Why did God allow me to have cancer? Why would God ask me to forgive? Why should I give generously? Why would a sovereign God allow so much suffering in the world?  All of these questions hinge on the same big question my friend had: Why should I trust God? All of these questions hinge on the same big question my friend had: Why should I trust God?

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In the midst of suffering or a crisis of faith, the task of trusting God comes up often— …But without a compelling reason to trust God, it all feels blind, weak, and hollow. So, I want to ask you: Why should I, or you, or my friend who was hesitant to join our church trust God? I’m not going to answer every question for every person as it relates to the Christian faith. But if you believe the Bible is true but struggle to trust God or some of the things he says in the Bible, then you can cling to the Bible’s encouragement: We trust God because he is good.

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There is an inherent relationship between goodness and trust. Before my two- and five-year-old girls were born I prayed a prayer that sometimes feels like a mistake. I prayed they would be curious. I prayed they would think. I prayed they would question. God was more than generous in answering that prayer. I’m grateful for what I hope it will mean for their faith and enjoyment of him someday, but in the day-to-day life of a father, that questioning, curious spirit causes countless moments of frustration. The simplest direction requires an explanation: Why is it time for dinner? Why can I not play with the circular saw? Why should I not wake up six times a night to play tea party with mom and dad?

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When life is calm and the situation is not urgent, I’m happy to explain and help them explore their world, but when they’re questioning the rule, “don’t run in front of that car,” I need them to trust. They need to believe in my goodness. I need them to believe I love them. I need them to believe I am good. I need them to believe I see and understand more than they do. I need them to believe all of these simple truths about our relationship so that when they in their limited experience of the world do not see danger, they can trust that when I seem to be keeping them back from good I am actually keeping them back from harm. It’s the same with our divine Father. Psalm 111 ends speaking of the wisdom of following God’s precepts. Trusting obedience is the conclusion of this ancient worship song, but how do the worshippers get to this point of trust?

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God loves his people. He is “gracious and compassionate” (Psa. 111:4). From his grace and compassion, he has “ordained his covenant forever” (Psa. 111:9). He has bound himself to his people in love, and from his love he acts toward his people in love. “He provides food for those who fear him” (Psa. 111:5), because “he remembers his covenant forever” (Psa. 111:5). He worked powerfully on behalf of his people a land, giving them a land (Psa. 111:6), and when they wandered from him, he provided redemption for his people (Psa. 111:9). He is good, he acts from his goodness, and is far greater in power and understanding. He is glorious, majestic and enduringly righteous (Psa. 111:3).  Psalm 111 ends in a declaration of trust, because it reminds us God is great and good. The truth of which the Psalm reminded the ancient Israelites has been made abundantly clear for us today in the person of Christ.  Romans 8:31–32 “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?Trust him because his abundant grace is good, and he has been good to you… We know God is good in the midst of a broken world, because he did not abandon us in our suffering; he came descended into the mess and joined us. Not only did he join us, but in his resurrection he lifts us out of that mess into a hope that will one day be fulfilled at his ultimate coming.

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None of that is new, and perhaps you are sitting there, reading, struggling to trust God, and frustrated with me for stating such straightforward truths. I get that frustration, but here’s the secret. Trust in God is not complex. We do not trust God by uncovering some hidden answer to all our “whys.” Trust in God is much simpler than that. Trust in God, as the Bible presents it, is not about discovering something new, it is about remembering something old…founded securely in the goodness he has revealed through his covenant love, in the goodness he has revealed through his Son. If we know the root of trust, it will change our response when we come up against doubt. We remind ourselves of goodness by adopting the practices of Psalm 111… sing of his goodness in the midst of the congregation. We proclaim his goodness, majesty, and glory. We hear others sing about who our God is in community and borrow the strength of their faith when ours is weak. Believer, if you are struggling to trust, remember who he is in worship. Hold fast to him in community and song. He is good. He loves you. He has been faithful through all generations. He will be faithful to you yet.

 

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Look to a faithful and humble Christian friend who is an example of sticking close to Jesus on the Christian journey. Also, look to the power of God active in Biblical history. Draw strength from faithful actions; desperate but confident prayers of our spiritual ancestors in the Bible, men and women who also suffered this world like us, doubting in trials, yet winning by trusting in God! “…since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders… And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus.”
 

 

“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”

 

 

Be refreshed in hope and strengthened in spirit as you trust God even more in 2026!

Pastor Catherine