Trusting God

“God is God. Because he is God, He is worthy of my trust and obedience. I will find rest nowhere but in His holy will that is unspeakably beyond my largest notions of what He is up to.”
Elisabeth Elliot

“Presumption is expecting God to join our plans rather than seeking His plans.”
Oswald Chambers

“Faith is not jumping to conclusions; it is stepping out on the promises of God. Presumption is acting without the assurance of His leading”
Warren Wiersbe

“Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time.”
Oswald Chambers

“Presumption whispers false assurances where faith should seek God’s will.”
Charles Stanley

Sometimes, in life, we find ourselves at a crossroads. On one side lies the path of trusting God completely. On the other, the temptation to take matters into our own hands. It is a choice echoing that fateful decision in Eden to either grasp for knowledge or trust God’s wisdom. So often, there are times when we face a decision, sensing God’s leading, but we are just unsure of our next step forward. Do we step out in faith or play it safe? Do we trust that still, small voice, or rely on our own understanding? And how do we know we are not just hearing what we want?

A Dangerous Game of Chance
The Bible encourages us to trust in God. Proverbs 3:5-6, a well-known passage, reminds us to trust in the Lord with everything, not to lean on our own understanding, and to submit our ways to Him. However, trusting the Lord is not meant to be blind or passive. It is an active, engaged faith that involves seeking God’s guidance, studying His Word, and aligning our will with His. The danger lies in misinterpreting faith as a license to act recklessly or make ill-advised decisions while expecting God to bless our actions or bail us out simply because we claim to trust Him. Trusting God is not a game of chance, much like jumping off a cliff and expecting God to catch you just because you shouted “Jesus!” on the way down. That is not faith; that is presumption. Presumption tests the boundaries of God’s grace, expecting Him to bless our folly instead of seeking His guidance. True faith seeks God’s will before leaping, not after, and has its basis in the Word of God. Presumption is based on our own desires or feelings. Presumption is testing God. Remember when Satan tempted Jesus to throw Himself off the temple? He even quoted Scripture to make it sound spiritual, but Jesus saw through the ruse. He knew the difference between trusting and testing God (Matthew 4:5-7). Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:9 (ESV), “We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents.” So how do we avoid this trap? How do we trust God without veering into the ditch of presumption?

The Human Tendency to Misinterpret
James 4:13-15 says, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit,’ yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’” We must recognize God’s sovereignty in our plans and decisions, which calls us to humility and dependence on Him, rather than presuming upon His will or blessing. But let us face it, we have an innate tendency to misunderstand or misinterpret things, even when they come from God. Throughout the Bible, we see examples of people misinterpreting God’s will or acting on incomplete understanding. God had promised Abraham that he would be the father of many (Genesis 15:1-6, 17:4-6). However, as years passed and Sarah remained barren, they took matters into their own hands (Genesis 16:1-2) and Ishmael was the result, which led to complications and heartache. While God blessed Ishmael because of Abraham, the emerging lineage would eventually contribute to strife and conflict for the nation of Israel (Genesis 21:12-13). The blessing on Ishmael did not negate the actions of his descendants and is a reminder that our actions can have far-reaching consequences beyond our immediate understanding. Even when God speaks clearly, we somehow manage to muddy the waters. Just look at the disciples. They spent three years with Jesus, and they still did not get it half the time. Remember when Jesus told them He was going to die and rise again? It went right over their heads, and Peter even rebuked Jesus for saying it. Talk about misunderstanding God’s plan! The point is, that we are good at hearing what we want to hear and seeing what we want to see, and it is easy for us to misinterpret God’s promises or timing and act based on our limited understanding; like that old joke about the guy in the flood who turns down three rescue boats because he is waiting for God to save him.

The Danger of “Doing Your Own Thing”
Ultimately, there is a fine line between stepping out in faith and doing your own thing while expecting God to bless it. The latter can lead to spiritual and practical pitfalls and often stems from a misunderstanding of God’s nature and our relationship with Him. We see this attitude throughout the story of King Saul, acting on his own understanding, even with the best of intentions, that led to severe consequences. 1 Samuel 15:23 (ESV) says, “For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.” Here is where things often go sideways: We get an idea in our head, convince ourselves it is from God, and then charge ahead without waiting for confirmation. We call it “stepping out in faith,” but sometimes it is just old selfish desires and self-reliance. Consider Numbers 14, the Israelites were all set to enter the Promised Land, the land flowing with milk and honey that God had promised them. They were right on the cusp of a new beginning, having come out of Egypt and witnessed countless miracles, from the parting of the Red Sea to manna falling from the sky. This was supposed to be their moment of triumph, but then came the turning point. Their rebellion and lack of faith angered God and He declared that none of that generation, except for Joshua and Caleb, would enter the Promised Land; they would wander in the wilderness for forty years until that unfaithful generation had passed away. All of a sudden, the people had a change of heart because they realized their mistake and decided to go up and attack the land, thinking they could correct their wrongs by sheer willpower. Moses advised them not to go, warning that God’s presence was no longer with them in this endeavor. Nevertheless, they went ahead, “presumed to go up to the heights of the hill country, although neither the ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses departed out of the camp” (Numbers 14:44, ESV), and were soundly defeated by the Amalekites and Canaanites. What a profound lesson about timing and obedience. God’s original will was for that generation of Israelites to take the Promised Land, but their lack of faith and rebellion led to a change in His plan. When they tried to take matters into their own hands, ignoring God’s revised instructions, they faced disastrous consequences. God is not our cosmic butler, waiting around to clean up our messes and bless our half-baked schemes. He is the sovereign Lord of the universe and our job is to align with His will, not try to bend Him to ours.

The Importance of Confirmation
Given our propensity to misunderstand or misinterpret, it is crucial to seek confirmation before making significant decisions, especially when we believe God is leading us in a particular direction. The principle of “two or three witnesses” (Deuteronomy 19:15) is sound and provides a safeguard against hasty or misguided actions. Jesus reiterates this principle in Matthew 18:16, as does Paul in 2 Corinthians 13:1. Gideon sought confirmation from God by asking for specific signs with the fleece (Judges 6:36-40). Similarly, Eliezer prayed for a specific sign to identify the right wife for Isaac (Genesis 24:12-14). Even King Hezekiah requested a sign from God to confirm His promise of healing and an extended life (2 Kings 20:8-11). These examples illustrate that seeking confirmation is not a lack of faith but a prudent approach to understanding God’s direction. The key is not to rely on yourself or even one confirmation but to ask God for multiple confirmations. The consistency of this principle in Scripture underscores the importance of establishing truth and making sound decisions. See it as building a case in court. One piece of evidence might be a coincidence, but when multiple lines of evidence all point in the same direction, you have something solid.

The Role of Patience and Timing
In our microwave, instant-gratification culture, patience has become a four-letter word. We want what we want, and we want it now. God’s timing rarely matches ours, yet human nature often pushes us towards immediate action. The story of David is a prime example of the importance of timing. Although David was anointed as king while still a young man, he had to wait many years before ascending to the throne. During this waiting time, he faced numerous challenges and opportunities to take matters into his own hands. However, David resisted acting in his own strength and consistently chose to wait on God’s timing, even when it meant enduring hardship and persecution. Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Waiting is not just twiddling our thumbs. It is an active preparation for what God has in store. Trusting God is a fundamental aspect of our faith. God certainly calls us to step out in faith at times, and He also provides us with guidance and safeguards to protect us from making rash or ill-advised decisions. Trusting Him is about holding our plans loosely and being willing to change course when God redirects us. It is about seeking His will above our own comfort or desires.

To you, dear reader, facing big and small decisions, feeling uncertain about the future, or wondering if you have missed God’s will—God is bigger than our mistakes. He is not surprised by our confusion and He is always working, even when we cannot see it. Seek Him. Trust Him. Wait on Him. And when He says “Go,” go with all your heart. Not presuming on His grace, but relying on His strength. Not doing your own thing, but aligning yourself with His perfect will. Trusting God is not about having all the answers. It is not about never making mistakes. It is about knowing who God is and believing that He is good, even when life does not make sense. Trust Him. Not blindly, but with eyes wide open to His goodness, His power, and His love. Because in the end, that is what faith is all about. As we navigate life, let us remember the words of Jeremiah 29:11-13: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.’”