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| How to Trust God When You Don't Understand |
How to Trust God When You Don't Know What He's Doing
Have you ever looked at what was happening in your life and wondered, “God, what are You doing?”
Maybe you've prayed about something for months—or even years—and nothing seems to be changing.
Maybe a door you desperately wanted to open has remained firmly closed.
Perhaps your family is walking through a difficult season. Money is tight. A relationship is strained. You're waiting for an answer. You're worried about one of your children. A plan you were certain would work has fallen apart.
You believe God is good.
You believe He is faithful.
But right now, you simply don't understand what He is doing.
Those seasons can test our faith in ways that comfortable seasons never do. It's relatively easy to say we trust God when life unfolds according to our plans. Trust becomes much harder when we cannot see where the road ahead is leading.
Yet those are often the very seasons in which God teaches us what it really means to trust Him.
What Does It Mean to Trust God?
One of the best-known passages about trusting God is Proverbs 3:5–6.
These verses tell us to trust the Lord wholeheartedly rather than depending upon our own understanding. They also instruct us to acknowledge Him in the way we live and trust Him to direct our paths.
That sounds simple until we realize what it requires.
Trusting God means admitting that we don't have to understand everything before we obey Him.
We naturally want explanations.
We want to know why something happened.
We want to know when the situation will change.
We want to know what God will do next.
We want to see the entire map before taking the next step.
God doesn't always give us the entire map.
Sometimes He simply gives us enough light for the next step.
Faith means taking that step anyway.
Trusting God Doesn't Mean Pretending Everything Is Fine
Sometimes Christians unintentionally make trusting God sound like we're supposed to ignore difficult emotions.
We're not.
Scripture is filled with people who cried, grieved, questioned, waited, struggled, and poured their hearts out before God.
Trusting God doesn't mean saying, “Everything is wonderful,” when everything clearly isn't wonderful.
It means being able to say:
“This hurts, but I still believe God is good.”
“I'm afraid, but I'm going to keep following Him.”
“I don't understand this, but God sees what I cannot see.”
“I don't know how this story ends, but I know Who is writing it.”
There is a tremendous difference between denying our circumstances and refusing to allow our circumstances to determine what we believe about God.
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| You Can Trust God Even When You Don't Understand |
Remember What You Know About God
When you don't know what God is doing, go back to what you do know about Him.
God is faithful.
God is good.
God loves you.
God hears you.
God sees what you cannot see.
God's wisdom is greater than yours.
God is not surprised by your circumstances.
God has not abandoned you.
Our circumstances change constantly. God's character does not.
That's why our faith must ultimately rest in who God is, not in whether today's circumstances make sense to us.
Give God the Worry You Keep Picking Back Up
1 Peter 5:7 teaches believers to cast their anxieties on God because He cares for them.
That last part matters.
God isn't asking you to surrender your worries because He is indifferent to them.
You can surrender them because He cares about you.
Sometimes we pray about something and then spend the next six hours mentally taking the problem back from God.
We give it to Him at 7:00 in the morning.
By 7:15, we're worrying about it again.
When that happens, surrender it again.
Prayer doesn't always mean that anxiety disappears instantly. Sometimes trusting God is a repeated decision:
“Lord, I'm worrying about this again. I'm giving it back to You.”
You may have to pray that prayer twenty times in one day.
That's okay.
Keep giving it back.
Stop Requiring Yourself to Figure Everything Out
One reason uncertainty is exhausting is that we convince ourselves we must find the solution.
We replay conversations.
We imagine every possible outcome.
We research endlessly.
We create backup plans for our backup plans.
Wisdom and responsible planning are good things, but eventually planning can become an attempt to control something that belongs in God's hands.
There comes a point when we have done what God has given us to do.
After that, we have to trust Him with what we cannot do.
Ask yourself:
Is there something God wants me to do about this situation today?
If the answer is yes, do it.
If the answer is no, give yourself permission to leave tomorrow in God's hands.
Trust God While You Wait
Waiting may be one of the hardest parts of the Christian life.
We don't just want God to answer.
We want Him to answer now.
But throughout Scripture, waiting is repeatedly part of God's work in people's lives.
Waiting does not necessarily mean God has forgotten you.
Silence does not necessarily mean God has said no.
A closed door does not necessarily mean you've reached the end of the road.
Sometimes God is doing something you cannot see yet.
Sometimes He's preparing circumstances.
Sometimes He's preparing another person.
Sometimes He's protecting you from something you don't know about.
And sometimes He's doing a work inside you while you're waiting for Him to change what's happening around you.
Don't assume that nothing is happening simply because you cannot see anything happening.
What If God Doesn't Answer the Prayer the Way You Want?
This is where trusting God becomes especially difficult.
Sometimes God answers exactly as we hoped.
Sometimes He doesn't.
Faith cannot depend on getting the outcome we requested.
Our ultimate prayer has to become:
“Lord, this is what I want. But more than I want my own way, I want Your will.”
That is not an easy prayer.
It is a prayer of surrender.
Jesus Himself modeled surrender when He prayed before the crucifixion. He expressed His desire honestly as He submitted Himself to the Father's will.
We can do the same.
Tell God what you want.
Ask boldly.
Pray specifically.
Then trust Him enough to leave the outcome in His hands.
Look Back at God's Faithfulness
When the future feels uncertain, look backward.
Think about other difficult seasons you've survived.
Were there times you worried about something that God eventually worked out?
Were there doors that closed that you later realized needed to close?
Were there disappointments that eventually redirected your life in a better direction?
Were there prayers God answered differently than you expected?
Keep a record of those moments.
Write down answered prayers.
Write down unexpected provisions.
Write down times God gave you strength when you thought you couldn't handle another thing.
Remembering yesterday's faithfulness gives us courage to trust God with tomorrow.
If it helps, keep a simple prayer journal to record what you’re praying about and how you see God answer over time.
Fill Your Mind With Scripture Instead of Fear
Fear thrives on repetition.
So does faith.
If you repeatedly tell yourself:
“What if everything goes wrong?”
“What if God doesn't provide?”
“What if this never changes?”
Your thoughts will eventually begin controlling your emotions.
Replace those questions with God's truth.
Read Scripture before reading your phone in the morning.
Write a verse on an index card.
Put Scripture somewhere you'll see it throughout the day.
Read a Psalm before bed.
When fearful thoughts begin spiraling, stop and deliberately redirect your thoughts toward what God says is true.
You cannot always control which thought enters your mind.
You can decide which thoughts you allow to stay there.
For additional encouragement, I recommend Less Fret, More Faith: An 11-Week Action Plan to Overcome Anxiety.
Bible Verses for Trusting God in Difficult Times
Here are several passages to read when you are struggling to trust God's plan:
Proverbs 3:5–6 — Trust God rather than relying completely on your own understanding.
1 Peter 5:7 — Give your anxiety to God because He cares for you.
Philippians 4:6–7 — Bring your concerns to God through prayer with thanksgiving.
Isaiah 26:3 — God gives peace to the person whose mind remains focused on Him.
Romans 8:28 — God works through circumstances for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
Psalm 37:5 — Commit your way to the Lord and trust Him.
Psalm 56:3 — When fear comes, choose to put your trust in God.
Psalm 46:10 — Be still and remember that He is God.
Don't just read these verses once. Spend time with them. Write them down. Pray through them. Memorize one that speaks especially strongly to your current situation.
Seven Practical Ways to Trust God When You Don't Understand
When life feels uncertain, start here:
- Pray honestly. Tell God exactly what you're afraid of and what you hope He will do.
- Read Scripture daily. Let God's truth speak louder than your circumstances.
- Do the next right thing. You don't need to know what happens six months from now to obey God today.
- Release what you cannot control. Recognize the difference between your responsibility and God's.
- Remember God's past faithfulness. Keep a written record if necessary.
- Ask other believers to pray with you. Difficult seasons were never intended to be carried entirely alone.
- Keep following God even when you don't understand. Sometimes obedience comes before understanding.
A Prayer for Trusting God
Father,
I don't understand what You are doing right now.
You know the questions I've been asking, the prayers I've been praying, and the worries I've been carrying.
I confess that I want answers. I want to know what happens next. I want to understand why things are happening the way they are.
Help me trust You when I cannot see the outcome.
Remind me that Your wisdom is greater than mine and that You see everything I cannot see.
Give me wisdom for the things You want me to do and peace about the things that belong in Your hands.
When fear returns, remind me to bring it back to You.
When I become impatient, help me wait faithfully.
When I become discouraged, remind me of the ways You have been faithful before.
I surrender my plans, my timeline, my questions, and the outcome to You.
Help me trust You one day—and one step—at a time.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
You Don't Have to Understand the Plan to Trust the Planner
Maybe you still don't know what God is doing.
That's okay.
You don't have to know today.
Faith isn't having every answer.
Sometimes faith is simply waking up tomorrow morning and saying:
“God, I still don't understand this. But I still trust You.”
Then you take the next step.
And the next.
And the next.
One day, you may look backward and understand why God allowed this season.
Or perhaps some questions won't be answered this side of heaven.
Either way, your confidence doesn't have to rest in having all the answers.
It can rest in the One who does.
A Little Reminder of the Good Shepherd
If you would like a visible reminder of God's care during uncertain seasons, visit my Safe With the Shepherd Collection at Abundant Family Living. These faith-inspired gifts were created around the comforting reminder that we are safe in the care of our Shepherd.
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| God sees you. You can trust Him. |
