Finding Our Treasure in Trusting God

Mike Gilland

No matter our age, we are all “prone to wander” (in the words of a well-known hymn). Young people and older adults alike can seem to run out of gas in their walk with the Lord, especially when life takes a difficult turn.

I believe at root in such problems is the missing ingredient of trusting God. I don’t presume to imply that trusting God is easy, or that life is able to be completely understood. We cannot fully comprehend the depth of trust any more than we can fully comprehend God. There is, and always will be, an element of mystery in the ways of God. But that doesn’t mean we CAN’T trust Him. 

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4)

To trust God is to view our trials and adversities through faith, and not just through our understanding of what seems right to us.

We tend to think that God is only active in our lives in the areas that we deem good. But throughout the Bible, we see the Lord allowing His children to walk through times of difficulty and suffering. Seeing this truth challenges what is often a deeply held but incomplete view on God’s goodness in our lives. We can believe that God is good…but mixed in with that, we mingle in a notion that since He is good, nothing bad should happen in our lives.

Even though we all enjoy those “easy seasons” of life, truth is - we tend to grow more when we are faced with hardship.  Adversity forces growth, and it is in adversity that we can find our greatest treasure in trusting God.