Trust Issues

“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm,
for God can be trusted to keep his promise.”
Hebrews 10:23

I’ve got trust issues—as I’m sure many of us do. I bet if you polled 100 women, 99 of them would say they’ve experienced trust issues in some form. For me, these issues have shown up in many different relationships—whether at work, at home, within family, with strangers on the street. You name it, and at some point, I’ve struggled to believe that people will actually do what they say they’ll do. But the hardest part? When those trust issues show up in my relationship with God. I often find myself in a mental battle, needing to remind myself that God can be trusted.

When I examine trust in my spiritual life, I have to go back to the root of my beliefs and ask one foundational question: Do I believe that the Bible is the inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God? In other words—do I believe that Scripture is authored by God, without error, and completely true? If my answer is yes, then that changes everything. It’s like putting on glasses that bring everything into focus.

If the Bible is indeed infallible and inerrant, then I must believe what it says in Hebrews 10:23: “God can be trusted to keep His promise.” Period. End of story. God is trustworthy. As Pastor Mike often says, “The God who cannot lie makes promises He cannot break.”
So, what do we do with our trust issues? Can we trust humanity? Can we trust ourselves? Who can we trust?

Jeremiah doesn’t sugarcoat it. He writes, “Let everyone beware of his neighbor, and put no trust in any brother, for every brother is a deceiver, and every neighbor goes about as a slanderer.” He also says, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord,’” and, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?”

So no—unfortunately, humanity, including our own hearts and minds, is not infallible or inerrant. And while that may sound like bad news (especially in a world that tells us to “trust our hearts”), the truth is: our hearts are fickle and unreliable.

But the good news is we do have someone we can trust—an infallible, inerrant, faithful God. Jeremiah also writes, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.” And, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.”

So when you’re struggling to trust someone—or even yourself—turn to God’s Word and pray scripture over the situation.

Say: God, your Word says I can’t rely on human beings or even my own thoughts, but I can trust You. Your Word says You love me. That You have good plans for me. That You are my healer, defender, and protector. Your Word tells me You work all things together for the good of those who love You. That I am redeemed, accepted, and grafted into Your family. That I have eternal life in You. That I was created in Your image. That You alone are faithful and just. God, I believe these promises—open my eyes so I can see them coming to life right in front of me. Amen.

Love & Blessings,
Danielle Porter