Trust Is a Daily Relational Term

I was at a celebration of life recently, and the pastor said something that immediately caught my attention:

“Trust is a daily relational term.”

I’ve thought about those words ever since.

Because trust isn’t something we decide once and never revisit. It’s not a contract we sign and file away. It’s not a feeling that appears and stays forever.

Trust is a choice.

A choice we make over and over and over again.

Every single day.

God gives us free will. He doesn’t force us to trust Him. He doesn’t force us to follow Him. He doesn’t force us to surrender our plans, our fears, our timelines, or our expectations.

Instead, He gives us a choice.

Will we trust Him today?

Or will we try to control everything ourselves?

I’ve learned that trust isn’t difficult because God is untrustworthy. Trust is difficult because surrendering control doesn’t come naturally to us.

At least it doesn’t for me.

My instinct is often to reach for control because it feels safer. I want answers. I want timelines. I want some sense of certainty about where I’m headed. I want to know how the story ends before I take the next step.

Maybe you do too.

But that’s not how relationships work.

Imagine a friendship where you needed proof every single day that the other person cared about you. Imagine questioning every motive, doubting every promise, and demanding complete certainty before extending any trust.

That wouldn’t be much of a relationship at all.

Yet sometimes that’s how we approach God.

We say we trust Him, but then spend our days worrying about outcomes He’s already promised to hold in His hands.

We say we trust Him, but then grip our circumstances so tightly that our knuckles turn white.

We say we trust Him, but then try to write our own ending instead of letting the Author do what He does best.

Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” — Proverbs 3:5-6

Notice it doesn’t say trust Him when you understand.

It doesn’t say trust Him when the path is clear.

It doesn’t say trust Him when the outcome looks favorable.

It simply says to trust Him.

Lately I’ve been listening to one of the new Mumford & Sons songs, and a line in it keeps circling back to one simple truth. The more I sit with it, the more I realize that’s what trust really looks like.

It’s believing that God is enough.

Enough when the prayers haven’t been answered yet.

Enough when the future feels uncertain.

Enough when the waiting feels endless.

Enough when life takes a turn we never saw coming.

Trust isn’t believing that God will always do what we want Him to do.

Trust is believing that He will always be who He says He is.

Faith isn’t found in having all the answers.

Faith is found in knowing the One who does.

And maybe that’s why trust is a daily relational term.

Because every morning we wake up with another opportunity to choose.

To cling to control.

Or to rest in the hands of a God who has never once let us go.

Not because we know what tomorrow holds.

But because we know Who holds tomorrow.

Reflection

What area of your life are you trying hardest to control right now?

What would it look like to loosen your grip and trust God with it today?

— Naureen