Trusting the Lord When You Don’t Understand
Photo by Laura Chouette
All of us know what it feels like to be surprised by our circumstances—to go through situations that don’t make sense.
It feels like a big risk to trust the Lord when we don’t understand something, but when we choose to trust Him, we set the groundwork for wonderful things. It’s amazing how trusting Him like a child results in steadiness in our hearts and lives. He is the God who does not allow us to stumble, and being with Him is better than striving and trying to do things on our own.
He will not let you fall;
your protector is always awake. (Ps. 121:3 GNT)
Here are three things you can pray about this week if you’re in a confusing situation and don’t know what to do.
1. Let God have all the pieces you don’t understand.
God’s peace is bigger than the human mind. We can’t truly fathom His peace. Bill Johnson describes it this way:
You can have a life of understanding and live in a small world, or you have heaven’s peace and live in a world without limits.
A world without limits. That’s what we get when we trust the Lord. We might not have all the answers—but that’s okay, because we trust Him and He is leading us.
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:6–7 NLT)
Prayer point: Give to God all the pieces of your life that are causing you confusion or making you feel lost. Maybe you’re dealing with disappointment. Or maybe you’re doing something new, and the sense of the unknown is weighing you down. In any situation where you don’t have answers, entrust it to the Lord and pray about what you need. Purposefully remind your heart that He is faithful.
2. Take courage and deal with any lies in your thinking.
What does a lie look like? It is anything that goes against what the Bible says. Many people firmly believe lies and don’t know it. For instance, God says they’re exquisite and flawless (Song 4:7), but they’re convinced they’re ugly and undesirable. God says they’re deeply loved (1 John 4:16), but they believe they’re an inconvenience to Him. God says they’re brave (Josh. 1:9), but they’re convinced they’re cowards.
When you realize you believe a lie, it takes courage to say “no” to it. You will need to renew your mind in that area—that is, train yourself to think according to what the Lord says is true.
Even when a lie feels true, it is still a lie. Trusting the Lord is always better than relying on that lie.
You are altogether beautiful, my darling;
there is no flaw in you. (Song 4:7 NIV)
Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes. (Rom. 12:2 TPT)
Prayer point: Ask God to give you courage to say “no” to the lie and “yes” to the wonderful things He’s telling you.
3. Trust the Lord by choosing to think only “good” thoughts.
Many of us have lived in fear or hopelessness for so long that we’re used to thinking “darkly,” but the Lord invites us to think good things instead—to bravely let go of the darkness and dare to trust Him.
It’s like He’s saying, “You don’t need to think that way anymore because I can take care of you. I can handle all the unknowns. I can look after and arrange for you all the things you’re worried about. Let Me show you what life with Me looks like—you’ll be amazed. And you’ll fall head over heels in love with Me.”
In conclusion, my friends, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable. (Phil. 4:8 GNT)
You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. (Col. 1:21–22 NLT)
Prayer point: Ask God to help you think good thoughts instead of bad or hopeless ones. He is with you, and He has good things in store for you.
Does your heart need to remember who God is? Check out some of our other devotions:
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