How to Trust God

A humble soul does not trust itself, but places all its confidence in God.

Saint Faustina

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A great Jesuit named Paul de Jaegher wrote a book called The Virtue of Trust. In it, we read that the more a soul advances in holiness the more trust it needs. This may surprise us at first, but it makes perfect sense because as we grow holier the crosses, inevitably, become heavier.

The heavier the cross, the more trust is required.

There are three ways to develop trust in God, which we will review today. One is painful, another delightful, and the third is neither painful nor delight but brings, instead, that peace which the world cannot give. All are important and should be experienced in this life. They are:

1. Trust through trials

2. Trust through recreation

3. Trust through purity

The first, which is painful, comes through trials. In the beginning of the spiritual life we often experience anxiety when we see a threat greater than our—or our loved one's—ability to overcome. Will we have the strength to fight the temptation or will we succumb to it? In these moments we doubt God is powerful enough to turn the tragedy into something good only to find later, after some time has passed, that He did, in fact, do just that. We forget that He only sends or allows crosses to happen to accomplish a greater good and that He is always in control.

Overtime, as we go through the same cycle of fear and relief, we begin to remember this truth sooner and sooner. That God will provide, just as He has in the past, and some great good will come from it. We need not worry.

These trials, as we know, come in many flavors and varieties (unemployment, addictions, detraction, etc.), but the underlying lesson is the same: God can and deserves to be trusted. If we choose not to trust, the consequence will be a burning humiliation. For those who truly love God, this humiliation can penetrate so deeply that the soul will not forget it. What shame it feels realizing it was wrong, that God did resolve the problem, and how unfaithful it was to question His goodness and His power! When the next some crisis strikes, the soul will remember the pain of the humiliation from before and resolve, this time, as best it can, not to doubt. God can be trusted, it will remind itself, He will provide.

The second way we develop trust in God is by experiencing Him in delightful ways. Oftentimes, in the constant stress of modern culture, the soul forgets to engage in fun activities. Without a healthy way to release heaviness that has accumulated over the course of the day, the soul find its difficult to be hopeful, positive. Instead, negative thoughts weigh it down, impacting its ability to trust God.

In such cases, we forget all the good things He has given us because in the moment we are so consumed with the harder things and have not planned for anything exciting to look forward to. We doubt that God does still intend to take care of us, that He does still love us. So, to remedy this, we ought to do something fun.

Take a walk through nature; carve a wooden boat with a pocket knife and watch it cross the water (maybe a small rain collection tub or a nearby lake); visit a bakery and chat with a kind stranger by the window, as you enjoy a croissant; visit some antique shop; or, a most underrated and powerful way to free the spirit: visit a new church (a Catholic one), one that known for being exceptionally beautiful. There is something about walking into such a place for the first time; the House of God has a way of speaking and you know it's secret: that somewhere, God is dwelling within it. You walk along the walls, where the Stations of the Cross hang, or perhaps approach the altar directly through the center aisle. The experience is new, but familiar...exciting, yet comforting...

Take a break from the seriousness of life and indulge in some little pleasantry. Do this often, every day, even. While most people have their standard, go-to hobbies that help them enjoy life, like reading books or knitting, we sometimes need to step outside the norm and experience God in new ways. The novelty, the adreline, the dopamine, whatever we want to call it, is refreshing to the soul. It breaks the mundane—even gives us an appreciation for it—so don't be afraid to explore. This will help you trust Him, that good things exist in the world and God wants to (and does) give them to you. Seek Him in new, upright ways and see how He romances you, as Saint Augustine might say. These experiences will remind you that God is good. He gave us these things, after all.

How can He be cruel when He is the maker of all the things that have ever made you smile?

He wants your happiness, Pilgrim, you just have to be open to embracing Him. And if you are willing to enjoy the these sweet moments, He will give you even more. He wishes to...

Afterwards, you will feel refreshed, with less stress, more hope, and, of course, more trust in God.

The third means to grow in trust is this: to grow in virtue, specifically charity. When a soul is loving and pure, it recognizes within itself a sincere and intense desire to do good to others, to celebrate their victories, to encourage them when they fall, to support them when they are weak. Such a soul experiences a peace in this world, even regarding death, because it knows that if it can wish so much good to another, if it can forgive any offense, than how much more true is it of God who is Love Itself, Purity Itself? Such a soul has nothing to worry, knowing that God is more eager to save it than, as Saint Vianney tells us, a mother is to save her baby from a burning building. We learn to trust in God's goodness because we see it within our own, finite hearts.

Now, if you are new to the spiritual life, then you will see by these various methods that it does often take many experiences and years for a soul to attain perfect trust. But not let time discouraged you. You first challenge, perhaps, is trusting that you are exactly where you are supposed to be and as long as you invite God into your life, to journey beside you, you will make it to your heavenly home.

Trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.

Saint Teresa of Avila

He knows what we need and anticipates our wants. All that He does, He does in service to us. Sometimes it takes years for His work to fully show itself and in that time we regret that our lives went a certain way only to realize after a few more years have passed that everything went exactly as it should have. How thankful we feel then that God didn't give us what we had wanted back then!

He truly is always working the greatest good for all of men, no matter how far a soul has fallen. In fact, the farther the fall, the more reason a soul has to trust God, for if you who has strayed, now has the light to come back, is that not because of a grace He has sent you? Does it not prove that even when you were away from Him, He sought your return, He pursued you? How can you worry that such a god who extends such a grace to you, the grace of repentance, will not also give you the graces you need to become a great saint?

Trust that all which befalls you is for your good and that the most humiliating falls are to teach you some lesson for the future. Then, you can move forward with peace, embracing the wisdom of Saint Teresa of Avila, "that you are exactly where you are meant to be."

Even so, with all this said, it is important to remember one last thing about trusting God. We have reviewed the ways by which God helps us grow in trust, but all these methods serve to one end: to strengthen our wills. Why is this? It is because trust is an act of the will.

You can feel anxious and still trust God, just as you can feel no anxiety and not trust Him. The latter is in cases where a soul has completely given up on life, it no longer care how things unfold. No, to trust God is to decide in your heart that you are going to trust Him. Does this mean and what does this look like? Let me tell you, but resolve as best you can to practice this moving forward, for the rest of your life. Do not waste this great grace which is offered to you now.

When you find yourself in a situation that requires trust in God, go to Him as soon as you can and tell Him all that is in your heart. Unburden your soul, let Him know all the worry, the fear, the anger, the hurt that consumes you. Tell Him why is consumes you. Tell Him what you would like to do and then relinquish all it to His care. Speak as long as you will on the subject, as long as it takes for you to feel relief, but when you have finished, you are done—no more talking about, no more dwelling, and certainly no more ruminating. It's done, over. You are now forbidden to ruminate.

You have told God. He has heard you. He knows all that you need and, now, if you choose to trust—actively will it—then you must let Him take care of it. Trust that it will work out. Go about your day determined to remember that no matter what happens, no matter how dire things may appear at some point, it will all work out.

During this waiting period, the devil will try to tempt you, introduce to you the worse case scenarios, but you must ignore all such thoughts. When such ideas arise, calmly raise your eyes and heart to God and remind Him that you still trust Him to take care of it and then peacefully resume your work.

Do not give in to any doubt, do not revisit the conversation you had before. There are many things to speak to God about, but that one topic is already over. He will take care of it. Do not worry yourself.

Overtime, you will see as we said before, how faithful Our Lord is, how He takes care of all of your worries. And because you will refuse to dwell, in time you will find that even when meeting some crisis, you no longer feel anxious because you know God can be trusted. It will be sign of great spiritual growth, when you reach this place; and reach it, you can. It is very possible and, in fact, expected of us.

Make no mistake: trust requires fortitude. When the waters are high and crashing, you will want to succumb to despair. Resist! Do not let the thoughts in, push them away, turn your mind to some holy thought—keep on handy some truth that reminds you of the goodness of God—and ask for your angel to help you. You will grow stronger in time and you will be better for it.

It is reasonable to expect that trusting will be hard in the beginning, but just as you would grow muscle through strength exercises at a gym, so will your spiritual muscles grow stronger through this repitition. Remain hopeful and committed. You will see the fruit soon enough.

May peace be with you.

And remember: no ruminating!

He who trusts himself is lost. He who trusts in God can do all things.

St. Alphonsus Liguori