Choose to Trust

In God we trust: these words are stamped on every dollar we earn and spend. What do they mean?

Is to trust God the same as releasing your cancer-stricken daughter to heaven’s arms while at the same time believing He can heal her on earth? Is it to move across the world when you have no idea what could steal your heart on the other side? Is it to give Him your wounded marriage, believing it’s better in His hands than yours? Is it to proclaim that He will provide financially? Is it to believe that if you commit your dreams to Him, His dreams for you could far surpass your own?

Our forefathers stamped these words on each and every coin because they knew that God is the most solid foundation upon which to establish a nation. None of us can see the future; none knows what’s coming around the bend. So when the Word says of itself, “it is a lamp unto our feet,” we see that trusting God is like walking along a darkened road with a beam of light shining just beneath our footsteps. Without that beam of light, how can we see what step to take next?

If you’re anything like me, you have many things in your life that are shrouded in uncertainty. You do not know that important situations in your life will turn out as you hope. During times like this, I cling to these words:
“For God alone, O, my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken … Trust in him at all times … pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.” Psalm 62:5-8

To trust is to put the twists and turns of the coming path in His able hands. It is to believe that no matter what happens, He will not fail us. When we give God our pasts, our presents, and our futures, we are walking on solid ground. Only He is the sure foundation for our times (Isa 33:6). As the sands of life shift and change, if we are standing on solid rock, nothing will move us.

Trust is a moment-by-moment choice we make. It means opening up our palms and letting go of the things we want to cling to so badly. It means surrendering control and releasing outcomes; it means believing that as long as we place our hearts in the palm of His hands, all will be well.

When you don’t know what the coming days hold, pour out your heart to Him and He will lead you. And say these words again and again, maybe even with each coin and dollar that passes to and from your hands: In God we trust … In God we trust … In God we trust.

For further reading: Psalm 20:7-8; Psalm 25:2; Psalm 37:3-6; Proverbs 3:5-8

“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.” Psalm 37:5