3 Ways to Trust God When We Cannot See

Both faith and anxious fear project into the future, but only one finds its security in God. This is a difficult truth to swallow, as we do not willingly want to lean into fear, but having faith requires trust. This trust is something rooted in the conviction that God is faithful, even when we cannot see any viable way the story can shift or change. This trust is surrender, but this trust is founded in the One Who is worthy of every ounce of our loyalty. Thankfully we can also look to His Word and to those who have walked journeys with God in the past to see that His character is never changing, and He is forever worthy of our trust, even when we cannot see.  

Trust Against our Assumptions  

Assumptions and presumptions about a situation can quickly move us from believing God is good to concluding He has forsaken us. This exact shift occurred right after the Israelites left Egypt and came upon the Banks of the Red Sea. They had just witnessed not one, but ten plagues that were forewarned and fulfilled upon Egypt, yet God’s people were untouched. The Israelites were even spared from the final plague of the death of the firstborn son if they obeyed the call of the Lord and participated in the orders for Passover. Despite these massive wonders that they had escaped unscathed, they assumed the worst of God as soon as they saw Pharaoh’s army coming towards them as they stood at the banks of the Red Sea. Exodus 14: 10-12 shares,  

“As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord. Then they said to Moses,     “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt?    “Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians' ? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”  

What we can now glean inspiration from is the heart posture of Moses in this exact moment, the moment where the masses doubted God, but where Moses had a choice of leadership to direct the perspective, Exodus 14:13-14 offers,  

“But Moses said to the people, "Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. "The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent.”  

There will be times in our own lives where we have seen the victories of the Lord time and time again, but when a challenge comes about that appears insurmountable or by our own conclusions impossible, we fall into despair or doubt. It is in such a place that we must make the choice to stand like Moses did in this instance, to stand with God and wait upon Him, regardless of how circumstances appear. Just as God had a plan for the Israelites that day, a plan so exquisite that it would be passed down from generation to generation of His mighty power, He can part the Red Sea in your life too.  

Trust in What He Said 

We must always return to what God originally said from the start, even if the odds are stacked against us in the present moment. A prime example of this is that of the story of Lazarus in John 11. Lazarus was not merely another son of Abraham met along the way of the footsteps of Jesus. He was a personal friend of Jesus, someone Jesus deeply cared for and loved. Jesus was told that his dear friend was sick, and it is vital to recognize exactly how Jesus phrases His response in John 11:4,  

“But when Jesus heard this, He said,     “This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” John 11:4 

Despite the knowledge of his sickness, Jesus and His Disciples did not go in haste to the bedside of Lazarus. When they arrived, they were met with the news that Lazarus was in fact dead, not sleeping, but in the grave. Can you imagine how the Disciples felt in this moment? They had clearly heard Jesus assure everyone that the sickness would not end in death, yet Lazarus’s heart ceased to beat, and his body lay cold in a cave. When they looked over with aching hope at Jesus, seeking somehow to find this was not really reality, they instead witness Him weeping. They had to make the choice in that moment to let their hopes be dashed and to believe that He was not really the Messiah, or to make the choice to wait and see what He would do next. Jesus reminds all who were present in that moment of His words concerning Lazarus in John 11:40,  

“Jesus *said to her,     “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” John 11:40 

The story indeed ends not in death, but in the miracle of Lazarus being raised from the dead. What was originally stated by Jesus must have echoed through every mind, “this sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God.” Part of trusting God is returning to what He has said, for He is not a man that should lie, nor change His mind (1 Samuel 15:29). He keeps His Word, even when every ounce of logic speaks against the situation. We must not fall prey to the fear that Eve did at the deception of the Serpent, “Did God really say that?” Instead, return to His exact Word and watch what He will do. When we consider experiences based upon God’s character, not our human reason, and we stand firm on His Word it is there that we go from weeping to witnessing God’s glory.   

Lean Not on Our Own Understanding  

Trusting God requires surrendering what we think we know over to the One Who knows all. Proverbs 3:5-6 explains it as,  

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 

The understanding we surmise is often concluded upon from what we can see, predict, or ascertain in an event. This verse is inviting us to make a pivotal agreement to instead look to God in every and all situations for the straight path ahead. This is where faith must be put into action, for trusting God is having faith even when something is uncertain. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as,  

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1  

The word for, “conviction” here in Greek is, elegchos, which was typically used in legal terms as proof or evidence of the truth. Faith in conviction is a deep rooting knowing, it surpasses one’s own understanding, fear, or judgements and instead acknowledges what God concludes in the matter. Leaning not on your own understanding is a freedom to stop the endless configurations of how something will unravel, and instead it is a focus on the portion God is offering you to steward in that exact moment, that exact hour, or that exact day. This practice requires connecting with His Holy Spirit in every instance, but it is there that the gift of connection and fellowship can be cultivated as well. Leaning upon God, not what we understand, is leaning into the victory of the Risen Christ in each and every journey.