Trusting God can be scary for many people. Life often feels out of control, and surrendering yourself to God’s plan requires faith that everything will work out. Here are some common reasons people struggle to fully trust God:
Fear of the Unknown
Not knowing what will happen in the future is frightening. When you trust God completely, you have to release control and accept that He may lead you down paths you can’t predict or expect. This uncertainty can feel threatening.
Bad Experiences
If you have been hurt or disappointed by God in the past, it can undermine your confidence in Him. For example, if you earnestly prayed for something important and felt God did not answer or care, you may hesitate to rely on Him again.
Lack of Understanding
God’s ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9). We cannot expect to fully comprehend His plans and purposes. When life doesn’t make sense, it’s hard not to question why God is allowing circumstances to unfold as they are.
Desire for Control
Surrendering control to God requires humility. Admitting we are not actually in charge can bruise our egos. Wanting to direct our own lives according to our limited understanding is natural, but counter to trusting God.
Worldly Distractions
Daily life can easily distract us from maintaining a close relationship with God. The busyness and noise of the world crowd out quiet time reading the Bible, praying, and listening for His guidance. And if we aren’t regularly connecting with God, trusting Him becomes more difficult.
Doubts About God’s Power
When prayers aren’t answered or life gets hard, doubts may creep in about God’s willingness or ability to help you. Undermining your belief in God’s power and goodness hampers your capacity to trust Him.
Fear of Surrendered Lives
Totally trusting God requires giving Him lordship of your life. But we often want to retain control over certain areas we don’t want to surrender to His authority. Fear that He may ask us to do something we don’t want to do can make trusting Him feel threatening.
Lack of Faith
Trusting God means having faith that He knows what is best for you, even when you can’t understand or don’t like what is happening. If your faith in God is shaky, you’ll lack the confidence to rely on Him when times get tough.
Past Hurts from People
If trusted friends, family members, churches, or authority figures have seriously let you down or hurt you, this can negatively impact your ability to trust God. Transferring hurt or bitterness onto Him is common.
Fear of Disappointing God
Knowing that God is holy and we are sinful can make us afraid of disappointing Him or earning His disapproval. We may be scared that fully surrendering to His will open us up to correction or condemnation if we misstep.
Conclusion
Trusting God with complete abandon is challenging because we are fallen, limited humans while He is a perfect, all-powerful God. But Scripture promises that He is absolutely trustworthy. When we choose to honor Him with our trust despite our fears and doubts, we will find comfort and peace knowing He holds us securely in His hands.
Table of Reasons People Struggle to Fully Trust God
| Reason | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Fear of the Unknown | Not knowing what will happen in the future is frightening. |
| Bad Experiences | Being hurt or disappointed by God can undermine confidence in Him. |
| Lack of Understanding | We cannot fully comprehend God’s plans and purposes. |
| Desire for Control | Surrendering control to God requires humility. |
| Worldly Distractions | Life crowds out time for connecting with God. |
| Doubts About God’s Power | Unanswered prayers can lead to doubts about God’s willingness or ability to help. |
| Fear of Surrendered Lives | Trusting God requires complete surrender we may resist. |
| Lack of Faith | Without faith in God, relying on Him is difficult. |
| Past Hurts from People | Hurt from others can negatively impact ability to trust God. |
| Fear of Disappointing God | We may fear earning God’s correction if we misstep. |
When we fully trust God despite our doubts and fears, we will find peace knowing He holds us securely in His hands. Remember that His ways are higher than our ways, and He is absolutely worthy of our trust.
Overcoming Fear to Trust God
It takes courage and intentionality to move past these common barriers to trusting God completely. Here are some suggestions for overcoming fear and growing your trust in Him:
Spend Time in Scripture
Reading the Bible reminds us of God’s promises, faithfulness, and truth. Seeing how He has proven trustworthy time and again throughout history builds faith that He is reliable.
Pray Continually
Talking to God throughout your day keeps you connected to Him. Prayer both expresses your needs and anxieties while also realigning your heart and mind back to His presence and peace.
Obey Him
Doing what you already know God wants, even in small ways, demonstrates trust and allows you to see firsthand that He can be trusted. Obedience often opens the door to greater understanding and alignment with His will.
Let Go of Control
Intentionally releasing your perceived control over situations trains you to trust God’s sovereignty and timing. Yielding control to Him lightens your load and frees you to rest in His capable hands.
Accept Uncertainty
Embracing the unknowns of life counteracts the tendency to fear the future. Acknowledging your lack of control and God’s wisdom to guide you through whatever lies ahead provides peace and freedom.
Focus on God’s Character
Reading and meditating on God’s attributes – His love, faithfulness, patience, goodness, etc. – builds confidence that He is exactly who you need when trusting Him feels difficult or risky.
Rely on Community
Fellow believers who have walked the path of trusting God can encourage you with wisdom and perspective when your faith wavers. Their testimonies can inspire you to persevere.
Thank God in Advance
Expressing gratitude before you see the outcome trains your heart to believe the best about God’s plans and trust His nature to work everything for good.
Take Small Steps
Incremental obedience in areas where trust feels hard allows you to build trust with God little by little as you experience His care and favor along the way.
Signs Your Trust in God Is Growing
It’s important to reflect on progress in your faith journey. Watch for these signs that your ability to trust God is expanding:
Letting Go of Outcomes
You pray about situations without telling God what the solution should be, willing to accept whatever He deems best.
Responding in Faith
Even when afraid or confused, you take biblical action based on your trust in God’s character and promises.
Seeking God First
Your automatic response in any circumstance is to seek God’s heart rather than grasping for control or quick fixes.
Abiding in Peace
You experience deepening peace and rest as you learn to trust God with both your daily life and eternal future.
Testifying to God’s Goodness
You freely share stories of God’s faithfulness in your life to encourage others in their faith journeys.
Acting in Obedience
Obedience to God becomes your joyful response, even when His commands don’t make sense to you initially.
Expressing Gratitude
Thanking God through all circumstances becomes natural as you recognize His intentional, loving care in every detail.
Persevering in Trials
You can bear hardship and disappointment with steadfast trust in God’s bigger plan and purposes.
Surrendering Your Will
Following and glorifying God becomes more important than your personal goals and desires.
Growing Sensitivity to Sin
You become quicker to recognize and repent of sinful thoughts or behaviors that could hinder your closeness with God.
In Closing
Trusting God with your whole heart takes time, intentionality and sustained focus on His character and promises in Scripture. But living in deep dependence on God frees you from fear and anxiety while ushering you into the peace, freedom and adventure of following Him wholeheartedly. Keep taking courageous steps of obedience to grow your trust muscle. God is so worthy of your complete reliance!
