Trust God more than yourself

“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 straight your paths” (Prov. 3:5-6 ESV).

It’s a well-known, often quoted passage of Scripture. But it’s easy for me to disobey. Rather than trusting in God, I rely on myself. Rather than resting in God’s infinite wisdom, I lean on my own finite understanding. Before long, I’m following my own agenda rather than God’s. And my half-hearted trust is full disobedience.

Do people ever distrust you?

There’s a popular quote that says, “Trust takes years to build, seconds to break, and forever to repair.” And we all know there’s some truth to that statement. But most of us also know what it’s like to be distrusted by those closest to us. And when those people refuse to trust us, it hurts.

There are certainly times, however, when we’re unfaithful. The apostle Paul writes, “If we are faithless, he [Christ] remains faithful — for he cannot deny himself” (2 Tm. 2:13 ESV). We disobey God on a daily basis, yet God never fails us. We look to Christ as a perfect example of faithfulness unto God.
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In other words, even though there are moments in our lives when we fail to be trustworthy, God can always be trusted. That’s why we sing “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” not “Great is My Faithfulness!” Why, then, do we distrust God?

We often fall for the lie that we know ourselves better than anyone else. So, we trust ourselves more than anyone or anything. After all, we can’t control what so-and-so does. And, of course, there’s a certain level of responsibility God gives us in our decision-making. But we need to realize how God is much more trustworthy than the most trustworthy person.

We must learn to trust God more than we trust ourselves. But how?

We need to recall God’s faithfulness on a daily basis. We’re quick to think about our own accomplishments, goals, and dreams. But we often neglect to consider how God has proved His faithfulness in our lives. We forget the prayers He has answered. And the promises He has made. When we begin to cling to God’s accomplishments rather than our own accomplishments, we’re beginning to trust God more than we trust ourselves.

It’s not about what you’ve done today as much as it’s about what He has done for you. God is faithful. He can be trusted.

Allow me to end with the chorus of “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” It reads, “Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand hath provided; Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.”

By God’s grace, let’s learn to trust Him more than ourselves.