If you’ve ever wondered if you could trust someone with a secret or with something very valuable, you probably remember the nervous feeling of hope mixed with uncertainty as you opened yourself up to that person. People can make mistakes and let you down, and placing your trust in another person takes a great deal of courage. Although others can betray that trust, God never will. When you learn to trust Him in all circumstances, you’ll find a peace that you won’t understand but will truly welcome.

In life, there’s bound to be situations we can’t handle, and when we turn to friends or family, their flaws and imperfections can keep them from being a reliable source of help. Sometimes the insecurities and fears of others may cause them to be unsympathetic when we desperately need guidance or advice. When the world turns on us and those closest to us distance themselves, God does just the opposite. “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken” (Psalm 55:22, NIV). We can trust that He won’t disappear in our darkest times, because His promise never to leave us is true.

In the book of Daniel, we read about Daniel in the lions’ den; also Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace. When things turned ugly and scary, their faith in God’s promises never wavered, and He showed up just in time to deliver them. Even today, when we find ourselves in a tough spot either because of bad decisions we made or because we chose to obey God’s Word in a sinful world, we can still trust Him. Accepting by faith what Jesus did for us over two thousand years ago makes us righteous in God’s eyes and delivers us from judgment, no matter what the world says about us. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).

Trusting God empowers us to do things we never imagined we could accomplish. When we focus on Him instead of whatever is going on around us at the moment, we open the door to the supernatural. During the storm at sea, when Jesus told Peter to walk on water to come to Him, Peter succeeded as long as he looked only on Jesus. Peter’s faith in Him was the deciding factor (Matthew 14:22-32). 

The world is full of situations that can look hopeless when we try and solve the problem through our own efforts, but we need not despair. When it looks like there’s no way out and we keep hitting that proverbial brick wall, there’s Someone else Who can handle the issue much better than we can, if we just let Him. “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27, NIV). It doesn’t matter how big of a mistake we’ve made or what it looks like to us. We can always rely on what He says!

God can turn anything around in our lives, but He’s waiting for us to trust Him. Believing what He says is all we need to do, but any little elements of doubt nagging at the edge of our minds holds us back. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5, 6). It’s good to know that our limited intellectual understanding isn’t a requirement of faith.