4 Things That Happen When We Trust God

Welcome to Day 27 of 31 Days of Battling Anxiety with Biblical Truth! Today, we are finishing up our discussion on Proverbs 3:5 and what it means when we fully live this verse out.

Let’s pretend for a moment that we are on the other side of the battle. Let’s pretend that we’ve gotten ready, that we have met our challenge head-on, that we have trusted God with all our hearts, and that we have relinquished all of our understanding to His supreme and unfathomable knowledge. What happens, then?

God is glorified

God is glorified. Of all the tasks we have been given on this earth, this is our greatest one.

In my thirteen years of work in the corporate world, I’ve probably written at least five professional resumes to describe any skills and strengths that might be an asset to the companies I sent them to. Proficient in Microsoft Office, check. Proficient in office administration, check. Hardworking, dedicated, and works well with other, check. What if we were to write our resume for the work we do for God’s kingdom? And isn’t this the only work we really do? The only skill God wants on our resume is this: glorify Him with our actions and our thoughts. Check?

We are the work of His hands, for the display of his splendor.

Isaiah 60:21

We have been created by Him, specifically to show off His glory. We are his brag book. His prized photo album. His winning portfolio. Except that when others look at us, they should see His glory, not ours. When we place our entire trust in God, it makes a grand statement to the world. The megaphone of our trusting heart shouts His existence, His providence, and His authority for all the world to see.

We are made to be like Him

We are made to be like Him. This is a slow and gradual process, but there is change and it is beautiful.

During a recent conversation with a friend, I asked her what she thought was the number one reason why people are drawn to Jesus. Her answer: transformed lives. And I would wholeheartedly agree with her. There is no better “proof” of God’s existence than the glaring witness of a changed life. When Jesus is in your heart, He changes you. Plain and simple. He loves us just the way that we are, but He loves us enough to not let us stay that way. If we want to serve Him, we must become like Him. Placing our trust in God washes out the old of what we know and replaces it with His true, fresh understanding. And we are changed.

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:18

Our desires become His desires. Our thoughts become His thoughts. Gradually, with one footstep in trust after another, we are transformed into His likeness. We are made to be beautiful.

Our fears are extinguished

Our fears are extinguished. When we trust God, we let go of our fears.

When my son lost his first tooth, it did not come out easily. Determined to hang on until the bitter end, it became clear that I was going to have to pull it out myself before he could eat another meal. Fearful does not begin to describe my son’s reaction to this plan.

In his six-year-old mind, he didn’t know that pulling a tooth hanging on by a single thread would not hurt. He hyperventilated. I encouraged. He cried. I reassured. Finally, he took a deep breath and let it out. I pulled. And out the tooth came before he could finish his exhale. A wide smile and laughter in his eyes revealed his new awareness that pulling teeth didn’t have to hurt at all. And so when the time came again for the next tooth to be pulled, he wasn’t afraid.

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust and am not afraid.

Psalm 56:3-4

Trusting God eliminates our fears because we learn to lean on His understanding, not our own, and we learn that His understanding is good. The more and more we trust Him, the more we realize we don’t have to wait for earthly evidence that He can and will take care of us.

The enemy loses

The enemy loses. The very last thing the enemy wants us to do is to place our trust in God.

A few months ago my son was in his room, cutting up little pieces of paper and writing on each of them. He brought me one of the slips of paper and said, “here, Mommy. I am making a new board game. Here’s one of your playing pieces.” I looked down at the yellow slip of paper and in little boy scribble was written these words: you will kill the snake. I’m sure this new game was no doubt inspired by our recent trip to the zoo, but as I stared at the scrawled words on my handmade playing piece, I was struck with the Biblical truth in this.

Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.

Luke 10: 19-20

When God calls us to an earthly battle, there is always a spiritual battle going on that we can’t see.

If we are going to be worth our salt at all as Christians in this broken world, we need to fully embrace the tenacity that comes with knowing this: that the simple act of trusting in our heavenly Father is enough for Him to put us on the offensive live.

Trusting in the Lord, with all of our hearts, and leaning not on our own understanding. This seems easy enough on paper. But in reality, this is where the battle begins. The decision to trust God must be made daily. And how do we do it?

1. Remind yourself, and tell God, who He is, what He has done for the world, and what He has done for you.
2. Give your entire heart to God. All of it. First in prayer, but also in your actions. If you think there might be pieces of your heart that you are still reluctant to hand over to Him, or you aren’t sure what those pieces are, ask yourself: what am I afraid of? Our fears will always give us clues as to what we have not laid down at Jesus’ feet.
3. Be in God’s Word. You cannot pull away from your own understanding to rely on His if you are not listening to His voice. You may not know the whole story of why God has brought you to this particular battle, but if you are faithful to Him, God will give you details of some of the story. Trust His understanding, not your own.

I would be untruthful if I did not admit that these actions have to happen daily for me, especially when I am dealing with anxiety. This isn’t a do-this-on-Sunday-and-reap-the-benefits-on-Thursday kind of deal. If we want to fully trust Him, we must engage daily in praising Him, giving our hearts to Him, and relying on His understanding, not ours. Every day, lay these things at His feet. And trust.

Blessed is the man who trusts in you, Lord.

Psalm 84:12