“’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,” begins the old hymn, echoing a truth that pervades the Scriptures. It is indeed sweet, though not always easy. And that’s what makes its fruit sweet with supernatural flavoring.
Trust in God always yields fruit. It is never in vain. God honors every application of our faith. He is a rewarder of those who seek Him and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord. These are not “maybe’s” or “sometimes” true; they are absolutes!
So what about the things we’ve asked Him for that haven’t come? This is where many of us feel the tension. We’ve trusted God for certain things that seem not just desirable, but necessary. Good things. Loving things. Reasonable requests that we cannot imagine why He would deny us. It’s in this very place that trust is refined – and often misunderstood.
There is a difference between trusting God for something and trusting in God Himself. It’s the difference between transactional faith and relational trust. The former is permitted; the latter is where the richest blessings are stored. It is the essential lesson the Lord tried over and over again to teach His people, the ancient Israelites.
To trust in God is to trust in who He is – His character – and who we are to Him, regardless of appearances, feelings, results, or circumstances. It is to be settled in heart that, having cast our anxieties on Him and presented our prayers, He has heard us. He is tending to our hearts and requests, always looking out for our highest good. We base this not on wishful thinking, but on the cross – on Jesus demonstrating His love by redeeming us, and on His faithfulness throughout our lives.
When we believe God is always for us – truly believe it – we are like Mount Zion, unshaken (Psalm 125:1). We are like trees planted by water, yielding fruit in season (Jeremiah 17:7–8; Psalm 1:3). We begin to pray continually, we delight in His presence, we experience the fullness of our relationship with Him, and we echo Habakkuk’s praise: “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (Habakkuk 3:17–18).
This kind of trust is not manufactured; it is granted. It requires grace – grace to rest in how marvelous He is, and in how utterly adored we are by Him. Recognizing the beyond-human ability this requires, the hymnist ends with these words:
“O for grace to trust Him more.”
“I do believe; help my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24)
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