[Today’s devotion on trusting in God is a part of the Weekend Word devotional series. Stop by every weekend to get refreshed through the reading of God’s Word.]

Today’s Scripture: ³ You keep him in perfect peace
    whose mind is stayed on you,
    because he trusts in you.
⁴ Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. (Isaiah 26:3-4, ESV)

“Just trust in God.”

This is a phrase we hear quite often when we express our uncertainty over a situation. It’s usually presented to us as if it’s an easy thing to do. Maybe it is for some people, but if you’re like me, you might have trouble wrapping your head around that idea.

What does it even mean to “trust” God? It’s certainly easier said than done.

As I read Isaiah 26:3 one morning, I realized God knew I needed to hear that verse. I realized it again when it showed up a second time that same day in a devotional I was reading. God was trying to show me something.

The situation I found myself in was filled with uncertainty. I was starting to see bits and pieces of what I believe God has planned for my future, but my mind was filling with doubts. How could I possibly do what He was asking of me if I didn’t even know how I was going to get through the next few months? How could I trust Him with my future if I wasn’t even sure I was truly trusting Him with my present?

When I thought about whether or not I was trusting God, I started to wonder if I even knew how to trust God. I knew from the Scripture that if I trusted God, I would have peace. I didn’t feel peaceful, so maybe I wasn’t trusting in Him.

According to today’s verse, those whose minds are “stayed on God” are kept in perfect peace by God. The Hebrew word for “stayed,” sometimes translated “steadfast,” means to “lean, lay, rest, support.”

Trusting in God is about resting in Him. It’s not about us doing something to make our desired outcome happen. It’s not a state of frantically worrying about what is going to occur next. It’s about leaning on Him, letting Him take care of the situation.

That’s great and all, but I’m a pro at worrying. I’m also fairly inclined to take things into my own hands.

When those worries come up in my heart, or when the inclination to get it done my way rises in my chest, I need to take a step back and tell myself “No, God will take care of this.” God can do a better job of it than I ever could.

We passively put our trust in a lot of things throughout the day. We trust the chair we sit in to hold us up.  We trust our alarm clock to wake us up in the morning (Though we might not always trust ourselves to wake up to it!).

I don’t think twice before I sit down in my chair. I don’t think about how today could be the day it gives out. I just sit. That’s it.

The truth is, the chair could break. My phone battery might die in the middle of the night, causing me to sleep in and miss an appointment. But I still trust them to get the job done.

The wonderful thing about trusting God is that He doesn’t fail. Isaiah 26:4 describes Him as “an everlasting Rock.” He is strong, unchanging, and a safe refuge. He keeps His promises. He is the only One truly worthy of complete trust. He’s certainly more trustworthy than a chair or an iPhone battery.

I want to get to the point in my life where trusting in God becomes automatic.

According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, the word “trust” means to “be bold confident, secure, sure.” Trusting in God means that I need to be surer of God than I am of myself, my circumstances, other people, or anything else.

If I begin to become unsure that God will come through, I need to bring myself right back to His promises and remind myself that He is forever faithful. He always does what He says He will do.

My focus needs to shift from doubt to faith. Trusting is about keeping our minds fixed on God to the point where doubts and fears fade into the background.

What’s our reward for this? God will keep us in “perfect peace,” or shalom, meaning “completeness, soundness, welfare, peace.” We will be well, made whole, and complete, regardless of any chaos that surrounds us.

Today’s Thoughts: Do you find it hard or easy to trust God? What situation do you need to trust Him for today? Where is your trust placed currently? It is in God, yourself, your circumstance, or others? If it’s not in God, how can you shift your trust to Him, your everlasting Rock?