Not everyone is ingrained with faith in God. For those who grew up in Christian homes, attending church functions, and surrounded by God-fearing people, trusting God is not a foreign thing. But for those who found the faith later in life, it is a real issue, learning to trust Him. It takes many things for this trust to be developed. Here are a few things which can be thought as fertile soil for that cultivation of a deeper, real faith in our Creator.
Knowledge
A person does not start any insurance policy without understanding how it works. Usually it takes counsel from others, research about the insurance, and the willingness to start the plan for one to feel confident about trusting that insurance to help cover you in the event of an incident. We should not be surprised then that we must learn from the Bible about what God has done for us to trust Him. The more time we spend in the Scriptures and the more we hear from others about their walk with God, the more we can trust Him. As in any relationship, trust is never given…it is earned. We learn about what God has done to redeem us from sin, and we begin to understand how much God has earned not only our trust but our love as well.
Experience
In Deuteronomy, Moses gave a summary of all the events and the commandments which the second generation of Israelites should know before they cross over into the Promised Land. In Chapter 8 there is something pertinent to our topic. "And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not” (Deu 8:2); "Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today” (Deu 8:11); "And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day” (Deu 8:18). All three of these verses indicated that the Jews were given very special situations to learn about God. They were not to forget these lessons because the more they reflected on the care that God had for them, the more they should trust in Him for the future. The same thing is true for us today. We should never forget the lessons of the past, the things God has brought us through, so we will learn to trust in Him for the difficulties before us as well.
Faith
A big part of Christianity is faith. Unlike what some may teach, faith is not defined as “blind trust” or “blind hope". The faith that we have in God is not just hoping that he is real and that we can have heaven for our home. Instead, faith is defined in Hebrews 11:1: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” The substance in this passage is literally explained as the “sub-stance” or more aptly “under-standing”. So our faith is not based on blind trust, but a proper understanding of what God has communicated to mankind in the Scriptures. This kind of faith is absolutely necessary! "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
So for those of us who struggle with having complete confidence in God, those are a few things which allow for the proper cultivation of trust. Let us all strive to trust Him in a more real way, and trust Him unto the end.