Trust Is More Than Words

One of the greatest challenges in our faith journey is learning what it means to really trust God. We say we trust God, but do we act in ways that show God that we truly trust Him? Previously, I’ve written about a challenge I’ve had: struggling with something, I’ll finally ask God for help and instantly feel better. For a little while, that is—until I grow concerned that God won’t handle it the way I want Him to (yes, it sounds ridiculous when I put it like that). Then, I yank the problem right back out of His hands. But then, after more inner turmoil, I realize how foolish I’m being and ask God for help again. And the cycle repeats.

But why?

Because I’m still learning how to trust God. I’ve grown a lot in this area, but I admit that I still have a long way to go.

The point is, true trust isn’t just a nice phrase we throw around—it’s an action. It’s something we must consciously choose to do and continually practice.

David exemplifies this in Psalm 56. He knew what it was like to face intense fear, danger, and uncertainty. In Psalm 56, he writes while being pursued by his enemies, expressing both his fear and his trust in God:

David doesn’t say he feels like trusting God. He says, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”‘ Instead, his trust is a conscious decision, not a passive state of mind; it’s an action verb. Trust isn’t just a feeling we experience when things are going well—it’s a choice we must make, especially in the face of fear and uncertainty. It requires us to continually hand over our worries, our challenges, and our situations to God and resist the urge to keep taking them back.

Letting Go, Letting God

Psalm 56 shows us a better way than the wrestling match I mentioned earlier: God, please help me—wait, let me take it back! David’s situation didn’t suddenly change after he expressed his trust in God. He still faced enemies and danger. Yet, he chose to place his trust in God and leave it there, believing that God would come through for him in His timing and His way. That’s the key. Trust means letting God take the reins and run with it—even when we don’t see immediate results or understand how He’s working.

When I first became a follower of Christ (way back in the last century!), there were popular bumper stickers that said: “Let Go, Let God”. Being a baby believer, I didn’t understand what that meant. But now, it makes sense to me.

In the same way, when you pray and ask God to take control of a situation, picture yourself physically handing that situation to Him. Picture yourself placing that situation—whether it’s your job, your marriage, your finances, or your kids—into His hands. Then, visualize yourself walking away, confident that God will handle the challenge far better than you ever could. You don’t turn around. You don’t yank it back out of His hands. You walk away.

In doing so, you’re not just saying you trust God, you’re signaling that you are genuinely releasing it to Him. You’re giving it over fully, trusting that His plan is better than anything you could devise. And when you feel the temptation to take it back, stop, repent, and hand it back over again.

First Trust, Then Blessing

A few verses after we see David trusting God despite his fear, we get a picture of how his trust in God turned out:

There’s a similar pattern described in Psalm 34:8, which invites us to “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him” (NIV). Notice the order: first we taste, first we step out in trust, then we see His goodness.

This same pattern of trust before blessing is echoed elsewhere in the Old Testament. Another great example of the causal relationship between trust and blessing (i.e., trusting in God enables us to be blessed by God) is found in the story of Joshua leading the Israelites through the mighty (at that time of year) Jordan River on dry ground (see Joshua chapters 3 and 4). As the Israelites approached the Jordan River, they were faced with a seemingly impossible task: crossing it at flood stage. God promised to stop the river so they could cross on dry land (the blessing), but first, the priests had to step into the river (the trust):

It wasn’t until the priests took that first step of trust—stepping into the rushing waters—that God performed the miracle of stopping the river. In the same way, just like the priests stepping into the Jordan, God often requires us to step out in faith before we experience His provision, blessing, or even a miracle. Trusting God usually means stepping into the water even when we can’t see how He’ll make a way. Sometimes it has to be enough to know that He will make a way.

Conclusion: Trust Precedes the Blessing

When we trust God, we open the door for His blessings to flow into our lives. Trust isn’t a passive hope that things will turn out well—it’s an active choice to believe that God will do what He promises, even when we can’t see the outcome. Throughout Scripture, we see a pattern: before the blessing comes, trust must be demonstrated. The priests had to step into the rushing Jordan River before the waters stopped, and David had to trust God while still in the midst of fear before he experienced deliverance.

This is a divine principle: trusting God invites His provision and blessing into our lives.. When we hold on to our fears, doubts, and problems, we close ourselves off from receiving what God has in store for us. But when we release our grip and hand those things over to Him, we make room for His power to work in our lives.

In Psalm 56, David shows us that trusting God doesn’t mean the absence of fear or struggle—it means choosing to believe that God is greater than our circumstances. He experienced God’s protection and peace because he first placed his trust in Him. Likewise, when we step out in faith and trust God with our lives, we invite His blessings—whether they come through miraculous intervention or through the gifts and opportunities He has already placed in our hands.

True blessing flows from a heart fully surrendered to God. It’s only when we trust Him that we experience the fullness of His provision, peace, and purpose. So, as we go through our weeks, let’s try to do more than say we trust God. Let’s try to actively live it out, placing every situation, every fear, and every need into His capable hands. And in doing so, we’ll find that His blessings, like the stilling of the Jordan, are always waiting on the other side of trust.