For some people, the idea of trusting someone else can either be very appealing or very frightening. To trust someone is to open ourselves up emotionally, which is unnerving if we’ve been hurt before. We may have learned from the world to depend only on ourselves; this works until we get in trouble and it seems like there’s no way out. When we don’t know who to turn to or rely on, we can trust Jesus to show us what to do.
God is very much alive; going to Him in prayer when we need help reveals supernatural avenues we never knew existed. “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not” (Jeremiah 33:3). He loves us, and He’s willing and able to help us when we not only acknowledge Him but trust Him enough to listen and obey when He gives us answers. Praying isn’t simply a monologue, but a two-way conversation with a God who wants to remain connected with us.
Prayer should be as automatic as breathing. We may have grown up thinking it’s simply something we recite from memory just before we go to bed, but we short-change ourselves with this type of thinking. To stay strong spiritually, we must constantly speak with God. We can pray out loud or silently, but prayer that’s pleasing to Him is filled with joy and thanksgiving, even when we’re making requests. “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
It may seem strange to give thanks and praise in the midst of a situation, but trusting God enough to do this connects us to a power that’s greater than any problem we could ever encounter. What we’re going through may look grim at the time, but God is always bigger than the mountain we’re facing and it’s not His will that the problem swallows us up. The beautiful thing about trusting God is that He’ll always accept us the way we are; He’ll never reject us, let us down, or abandon us. “…For He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]’” (Hebrews 13:5, AMPC).
We can always be assured that when we pray, God will never get mad at us or punish us. He promises to meet us where we are, imperfections and all. He wants to bless us—He’ll never curse us—and He’s always truthful and honest with us. “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it” (Numbers 23:19, 20, NKJV).
It’s good to have people we can trust when trouble hits, but everyone has their own limitations. When others fail us in our time of need, God won’t. When things go from bad to worse, He can rescue us. “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee” (Psalm 56:3). Prayer is our lifeline to God whenever we need it.
