Trusting in God’s plan

Before you read this blog, I want to ask you a question.

Do you trust in God’s plans?

If you answered “yes”, that’s great. If you answered “no”, let me ask you this;

Do you trust God?

Trust 

Growing up Christian, you hear so many different “church” words and phrases being tossed around all willy-nilly. 

At first, they seem to carry some weight. But then, as you get older, you notice elders using them so often and so frequently that eventually it just becomes a thing you say to fellow Christians. 

The word ‘trust’ was one of those words for me. 

I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to trust and, more specifically, what it means to trust God. 

I wanted a clear definition, so I looked it up, and here’s what I found; 

Trust is a firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.

It involves confidence that a person or thing will act in a way that is consistent, honest, and dependable — even in the absence of proof or when outcomes are uncertain.

Examples of Trust:

• In relationships: Believing a friend will keep your secret.
• In systems: Relying on a bank to keep your money safe.
• In oneself: Having confidence in your own decisions.

Synonyms:

• Confidence
• Faith
• Assurance
• Reliance

“Consistent, honest and dependable — even in the absence of proof” sounds familiar.

Probably because I’ve heard it said more than a hundred times. 

But this time, I noticed something new. By definition, trust has everything to do with one’s character. So if we were to not only accept that logic, but apply it to God, we would now be dealing with God’s character.

One thing I know for sure is that our God is a planner. The question is, can we trust in His plans? Well, to answer that, let’s take a look at his character. 

There are two proven ways I’ve learnt to get to know God’s character:

1. His names
2. His history

His names

God, just like us, has names. The difference being that, unlike most of us, He has more than just a couple of names, and where we may often fall short of living up to the wonderful names our parents graced us with, God’s names will always be true. 

Examples of God’s names, include; 

• ABBA (Father) – Romans 8:14-16
• ADONAI (Lord, Master) – Psalm 123:2; Luke 5:5
• ADONAI MESHIV (The God Who Restores) – Psalm 126:4
• (BLESSED) HOPE – Titus 2:11-13; Psalm 71:5
• CREATOR – Genesis 1:1; Nehemiah 9:6; Isaiah 45:18; Colossians 1:16; Revelation 4:11
• DELIVERER – Psalm 18:1-2, 34:4, 7; Romans 11:26-27; 2 Timothy 4:18
• EL (The Strong One) – Psalm 27:1, 46:1-3, 118:14
• EL ELYON (The Most High God, Sovereign God) – Genesis 14:17-20; Psalm 91:1
• EL OLAM (The Everlasting God) – Isaiah 40:28-31
• EL ROI (The God Who Sees) – Genesis 16:13; Psalm 139:1-18

Link to the full resource of God’s names

God’s names point to the attributes of His character. These attributes can be proven through His history.

His history

Did you know that less than 20% of church going Christians read their Bibles every day? Maybe that’s why so many of us struggle with believing in God’s character. 

Notice how each of the names listed above has at least one scripture attached to it? 

If more of us took time to explore how the Bible captures both spiritual truth and real history, maybe we’d stop treating it like a storybook and treat it with the reverence it deserves — as the history book of God and His people – Between God and YOU.

God’s plans

Now that we’ve defined the word trust and we’ve briefly gone over the characteristics of God (what makes God, God), let’s now go back to our initial prompt. 

Do you trust in God’s plans? 

If you answered “no” the first time, I want you to take a moment, take a deep breath, close your eyes and ask yourself the following;

How much do I know about God, and how much of it is true?

If you felt your heart sink a little at the thought of your answer, I sympathise with you wholeheartedly. And as your big sister in Christ (or little, depending on the year you were born), I got you. Let’s start with a prayer;

Father God, I thank you for waking me up today, 

because I know that means you still have plans for me,

But I have to be honest and say, 

As much as it hurts me to admit,

I don’t think I trust you,

I want to, but I don’t,

I want to overcome this,

And I’m so grateful that it’s not by my own strength,

But by your Spirit, 

So I invite Your Holy Spirit to do a good work in me, 

To show me the truth about who you are,

And to fix it in my heart that you can be trusted,

In Jesus’ name, I ask and pray,

Amen 

Now that we’ve invited God to do a good work in us, it’s time to get equipped. Devotionals and podcasts, and sermons are great, but YOU NEED TO READ YOUR BIBLE AND KNOW GOD FOR YOURSELF. That is not an option, it never has been. 

You can’t trust someone you don’t know, and you definitely can’t trust in their plans for you. If you’ve ever tried reading your bible from front to back but failed, I encourage you to try again. 

If you haven’t, I’m including links to my four favourite bible study resources to help you not only read your Bible from front to back but to also learn and understand the word of God so that you may know His character and fall in love with the God we serve. 

1. The Bible Project
2. The Bible Recap
3. Bible Ref
4. Enduring Word

I pray this blog not only inspired you, but also brought some of the revelation you’ve been desperately seeking.  

Love, 

Mwape xxx