Devotionals for the Heart: How to have faith in God and trust Him

Trusting God's Process
A devotional by Monique M. Anderson

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." 

–Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)

Before this season, no one could question my trust in God.

I would undeniably tell you, “I trust God.”

I could provide you with a list of past ways He came through for me. I could give you all the many names He has that prove His character: Jehovah Jireh (provider), Jehovah Nissi (banner), Jehovah Gibbor (mighty), Jehovah Rapha (healer), etc.

I thought there was no area of my life where I did not completely give God my all and fully surrender. I never thought I doubted Him nor feared whether or not He would come through. On the contrary, I was confident and sure of who my God was and what He could do in every situation in my life.

That is until it came to helping my teen through her growing pains. Of course, as parents, we want to protect our children from experiencing any pain or difficulty. It is our instinct to protect them. However, God has been showing me that His process for her healing will have trouble and some pain. This reality has been hard for me to process and give God full reign over her.

In this season of her healing, I realized I had not fully surrendered her to Him. I was not trusting her in His hands. I was not trusting the process she would have to go through for His will to be done. For the first time, I realized I had a gray area with God.

Anytime it looked like things were getting worse, I would question Him. I would question His tactics and reasoning. I knew He was there, but why does it look like this? One day, while I was journaling my feelings to God, He led me to Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV), “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

I have heard this scripture numerous times and referenced it often. However, this time it was different. The Holy Spirit led me to study it a bit deeper and not just look at the surface of the words. I decided to look up the word “trust” and was shocked at its meaning. The word trust in this scripture means to “lie helpless facedown” (according to the Enduring Word Commentary) or “to throw one down upon his face; lie extended on the ground” (according to the Blue Letter Bible). Bible Hub gives a depiction of being “a helpless infant”.

These definitions provided me with a visual of what trusting God looks like. It made me ask myself questions like these: Am I fully trusting God? Have I lied on my face helplessly in front of Him? Have I been as helpless as an infant? I considered an infant and how they cannot do anything independently. Someone has to do everything for them, even hold up their head. They must depend on someone to feed them, change them, and bathe them. Therefore, they are entirely in the care of someone else.

This is an example of how God needs us to trust Him. He needs us to remain entirely in His care. We need to allow Him to take care of all the needs we cannot take care of ourselves. We need to lay helpless in front of Him. We need to relinquish whatever control we think we have and let Him feed us, change us, and wash us clean. I realized this season with my stepdaughter is not just for her but also for me. Not only is God working on changing her heart, but mine as well.

Going deeper, I looked up the word “understanding” and found it means not to lean on your intellect and insight. We can't depend on what we think we know. Our intelligence, although given to us by God, cannot compare to His. Whatever we think we understand about a situation, our level of intelligence can never grasp what God is truly doing. We cannot lean on what we think we know or understand, or see. We could never comprehend what God does in the midst of our circumstance that we don't see. This is when we lay flat on our faces and let God be God.

In addition, we must acknowledge Him in all our ways by inviting Him into every area of our lives. Invite Him into every decision, even the most mundane things. Even in something we don't think requires God's approval and guidance, from the things we want to purchase online to where we want to go on our next vacation. Inviting Him into every space of our lives allows Him to direct our paths.

Once God revealed that I wasn't trusting Him with everything, I realized I had some work to do. First, I had to repent for my unbelief, fear, and rebellion. Also, I had to trust the process for my stepdaughter's healing. I had to rely on the bad days as well as the good. I had to trust Him when she would stumble or fall. I have to trust Him when things look like there is no improvement. I have to allow the pain and the struggle because endurance and character are built through the pain and struggle. She must go through God's process, and I must trust that.

I trust she will come out on the other side, beaming God's glory. I have to believe that she will come out looking just like Jesus Christ.

This is not easy. This is something that I have to work on daily. First, I wake up praising God for His new grace and mercies that are new every morning. Then I die to my own flesh and understanding, lay helpless at His feet, and give her to Him daily. It is work, but I am strengthened when I lay my burdens at my Heavenly Father's feet.

Whatever your struggle to hand over to God entirely, I encourage you to be as helpless as an infant with your Heavenly Father. Let Him hold up your head through whatever trial you face this season. Bring Him into every thought and every decision. Then and only then will He be able to direct your path.

Let's Pray: Father God, I lay at your feet. I lay helpless, face down, knowing nothing. I let go of my own understanding and intellect to receive Your wisdom. Father, please hold my head up during this trying time. I need Your embrace and comfort, and strength. Father, I trust you now. I truly trust you now. Forgive me for only giving you parts of me. I relinquish all to you now. Do whatever you need to do. Whatever you want, Lord, I present to you. I thank you in advance for who I will become after this storm passes. I am grateful that I will look more like you, and I will be able to testify of your goodness. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “God Will Work It Out" by Maverick City. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Monique M. Anderson is a writer, creator, wife, and bonus mom. She was born and raised in Mount Vernon, NY, where she still resides. She released her always present yet hidden talent of writing to the masses in June 2019. 

Monique always felt like God was chasing after her but was never ready to surrender. Finally, she reached a point in her life when things started going left, and she no longer felt in control. At this point, she was ready to hand over the reins to God. After forming her relationship with God, she always felt compelled to share the revelation’s that His Word gave her. She felt The Holy Spirit prompting her to write but was afraid of what people might think. So, her writing started in her journal. The journal turned into a book and the book into a blog.

Her obedience provided more opportunities. In late 2021, Monique became a partner with the notable YouVersion Bible App as a Content Creator. With her first Bible plan debuting in December of 2021, she will continue to provide content for the app as long as God allows her to.

In 2021, God revealed her prophetic gift and how He wants her to use it. Monique always felt compelled to pray for others but had no idea God would use her in this way. Through this gift as a prophetic intercessor, she’s not just writing about what God can do but showing what God can do.

Since God has shown her who He created her to be, she now feels it is her life’s work to help those taking their first steps in their walk with Jesus Christ. She is doing so through her blog, prayer, and soon-to-be-published works. She is excited to extend her reach to YouTube, podcasts, and speaking engagements soon.

Her blog is the stepping stone to fulfilling the vision God gave to her: “Sharing God’s revelations so we can all better reflect his image and fulfill His purpose.”

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Connect with Monique:
Website: www.yourstrulymoe.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Yours-Truly-Moe-140255684101423