Faith and Trust

I recently made a new friend from Haiti, and during our conversation, she said in a beautiful Haitian accent, “You know…Faith is KNOWING God can do it. But, trust is LETTING God do it.”

Ooof. That statement knocked the wind out of me for a minute.

It made me think about how I have a disconnect between my faith in God and my trust in God. The two seem like they would walk hand-in-hand, but they can be very separate, and that separation is never more evident than when I’m reminding a friend about God’s promises for the same situation that is playing out in my life. It’s easy to have faith for someone else, but the stakes seem much higher when it’s MY kid, MY finances, MY marriage, and MY future.  

See, I know “…faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) And I also know “…that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

But, even though those two scriptures have been branded into my memory, it’s still a struggle to accept them both simultaneously. I’ve found that it comes down to that I believe God will work things out for my good, but I don’t trust that He has my best interest at heart. Or, I should say I don’t trust that His timing in working those things out will be in my best interest. I don’t want to be uncomfortable. I don’t want to wait, and I want to have the answers that I need when I want them.

The words “faith” and “trust” are so often overused and assumed that many of us forget their true definitions and importance in every area of our lives. For another read about trust, check out my previous blog here. As you can tell, trust is a subject I need to revisit often. What about you?

It’s been a while since we’ve talked, and I would love to hear from you. How have you built up your trust in God? Where do you see it play out most? Leave a comment below or email me at shawn@intentionalmerch.com.

We will get through this together!
In His service and at yours.
~Shawn