Trusting God When It Doesn’t Make Sense

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5.

It seems obvious to trust God when nothing makes sense. We should feel just as confident that we can trust God when our world is shaken and the ground is moving under our feet as we do when everything is going along swimmingly. It is easy to trust God when things are going well. But often that is the calm before the adversity. Things going well is not an indication it will continue that well. Our peace, our security and our trust comes from God. It is not at all dependent on what is going on around us. Whether things are good or we find ourselves in the midst of a storm, we can and should trust God.   

Adversity in our life is often a faith test. It is a test of whether it is easy or difficult to trust God. The challenge is to maintain that trust when the storm subsides and our circumstances no longer require the same level of faith. We are no less dependent on God when things are going good as we are when we are facing troubles in our life.

When things are going well we have the illusion of security, not real security itself. So many people lost all their savings during the 2008 recession because they assumed things would continue to be good. Good circumstances provide no true security.

It reminds me of the story of Jesus sleeping on the boat during the middle of the storm (Mark 4:35-41). He said, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” But then the weather got dicey. The boat and the disciple’s confidence was shaken. When we read the Mark passage today, we can’t help but think: “They had God in the flesh on the boat with them! How could they really think that they wouldn’t make it? No matter how bad things looked, they couldn’t be more secure.”

But when you are faced with a real crisis, you tend to freak out and they did. They finally woke Him up, frustrating Him with their lack of faith. Jesus told the storm to calm down. They had a very human reaction. They didn’t fully grasp who Jesus was. They could not get their arms around the idea that no matter how bad things got, He was there with them and they only needed to trust Him.

It is no different for us today. We have the promise of God that He will never leave us, or forsake us. It doesn’t matter how bad things look, God is there. When your trust is in God, you could not be more secure.

Discussion Questions:

1. Regarding yourself, what do you worry about most? When is it time to trust Him rather than lean on your own understanding and strength?
2. What does it mean to trust God? What is the difference between passive trust and active trust?