Living with Great Expectations: Scriptures about Trusting God

When things are going well, we find ourselves trusting God and we hardly have reason to question our reality. It’s only when things are turned upside down when the ground we thought was firm beneath our feet gives way, that we wonder if we had it right all along. We put our trust in people, institutions, and God to varying degrees.

We do this because experience has taught us that they are trustworthy, and we feel safe doing so. What do you do if it all falls apart? What can you do if you feel disappointed or betrayed by the one in whom you put your trust?

Losing trust can be devastating for a relationship. This is all the truer with God, from whom our lives flow. If you trust in God, you put your life in His hands. You make decisions such as how you raise your family, handle money, deal with relationships and conflict, what goals you pursue, and so much more based on what God has said about Himself. So, it’s important that we learn to trust God, and that we handle our disappointments with Him wisely.

Bible verses about trusting God

There are many Scriptures about trusting God, including one of the better-known ones from the book of Proverbs which reads,

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. – Proverbs 3:5-6, ESV

This excellent verse reminds us that our perception of situations is limited, and our judgment is flawed and imperfect.

Growing in wisdom is about recognizing those limits and learning to understand God’s way of doing things. From the first pages of the Bible, we see that humanity’s problem is about trusting God, and believing that His motives for what He does are good. When we lean on our way of thinking, things don’t go well in the long run.

Life doesn’t always go according to plan; well, at least it doesn’t always go according to our plans. But even when things go off the rails, God is still in control, and can still be trusted.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29:11, ESV

This verse is often misunderstood as saying that God has a wonderful plan for our lives and so things will never go wrong. In the immediate context, God is saying this to His people who have been violently displaced from their homes by a foreign nation, and they will be in exile for seventy years. This all happened because the people disobeyed God for centuries, not heeding His warnings through His prophets.

It’s in that context of disobedience, when they are at their lowest when God perhaps should have left them in the mess they created, that He tells them of His good intentions for their lives. God has not abandoned them, even as they are in this difficult season.

He is with them in it, and He will be with them when their exile ends. God can be trusted because even when things go wrong in your life because of choices you’ve made, He doesn’t abandon you. He is faithful, even when we are faithless (2 Timothy 2:13).

Putting down roots

Trusting God can be hard, especially when things happen in our lives that make it seem like He’s abandoned us. You may be feeling angry, resentful, despondent, or frustrated with God, yourself, or others as a result. Sometimes you need someone to walk with you as you process what you’ve gone through.

A Christian counselor can help you explore your thoughts and feelings, develop your discernment of untrue or unhelpful patterns of thought and behavior, and help you cultivate a healthy trust in and relationship with God.