If you want to know how to start trusting God in difficult times, you are likely going through a rough patch. Most people do not prepare for the day they will face a trial or difficult situation. Rather, they enjoy life when things are going well and expect things to stay that way.
In the Bible, we are reminded over and over to trust God when we face difficulties. That isn’t always easy, is it? When facing a problem, most people will troubleshoot, and there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, God wants us to use the wisdom He’s given us to solve problems.
However, when you never turn to God during tough times and never ask for wisdom or discernment before tackling a giant, that is when there is a problem. We need to pray and look to our Heavenly Father when push comes to shove.
In this article, we will learn how to trust God during trials with a focus on five specific ways. They will likely not be news to you, but the insight provided about each one will likely light a spark!
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How to Start Trusting God in Difficult Times (5 Lasting Ways)
At some point in time, you will rely on the safe and easy way too much. Instead, you will want to use spiritual disciplines (prayer, Bible study, gratitude, etc.) to grow closer to God. As we look at some of the more popular ones, be sure to keep an open heart and mind.
Please note each suggestion and determine how you can try to implement it into your daily life. Perhaps you need to scale back on binging the latest series on Netflix so that you might have time to be alone with God, a time for reading and studying the Bible prayerfully.
There isn’t one right way to pray or read and study your Bible. Also, there are not usually rules that would force you to break them and kick you out of your church or out of a Bible study group if you didn’t comply. Think of the times you spend with God as opportunities for growth.
Cast your cares on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken. – Psalm 55:22
#1. Pray (until something changes).
In most cases, especially on a personal level, you can pray by simply speaking to God, searching for His answers to your prayers, and trusting that He will make all things right. You can learn how to pray in a simple way, or you might wish to repeat rote prayers sincerely.
The following articles can be of key assistance when aiming to improve your prayer life. Be sure to use only the ones that will benefit your relationship with God. Not all prayer suggestions will apply to each person because God made us each to be unique for His very own reason.
Articles on Prayer
A Beginner’s Guide to Prayer – What Everyone Should Know
How to Start Your First Prayer Journal
How to Pray for Your Husband (with FREE Prayer Cards)
How to Track Your Prayers with Free Printable Tracker
Top 151+ Tips to Spice Up Your Prayer Life Today
Reminder: In the prayer section of our website, you can find a list of articles that have the key subject of prayer.
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. – Colossians 4:2
#2. Read and study the Bible.
Prayer prepares our hearts to speak to God and listen to His response to our requests. When it comes to listening or getting to know the Lord, the Bible is your best resource. If studying the Bible seems overwhelming (and I have absolutely been there), just read through it.
Studying the Bible is a critical spiritual discipline, and it is something that you CAN do. Tell yourself that you will not allow ANYTHING to get in the way of your time with God, especially as it relates to what you learn from the Bible and how you can apply it to yourself.
Consider using a Bible Reading plan if you decide to go that route. However, it’s important to keep in mind that reading the Bible from cover to cover will not necessarily improve your relationship with God. Your heart and soul must be linked to this discipline.
Check out our Bible Study section for many articles on how to study the Bible. We even have our own original Bible studies now – ones you can learn from and share with others (of course, with permission). Make Bible reading and study an important part of every single day!
Articles on Bible Study
How to Do a Topical Bible Study
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. – 2 Timothy 3:16
#3. Confess the times you’ve had doubts.
Is God real? Did He create the world? Why don’t we see Him in person anymore? Do we need to live by the Old Covenant or the New One? How was the Bible compiled? How can we share the Gospel (the good news about Christ) with those who have zero desire to hear it?
Yes, we all have numerous questions we are still trying to answer. Perhaps you have heard your children or co-workers ask you questions based on the Bible, and you do not know how to respond. Maybe these times caused you to have a few doubts of your own!
If that’s the case, do not despair. Many of the people in the Bible had doubts, as well. “Doubting Thomas” comes to mind (John 20:24-29). Make sure you are walking on a firm spiritual foundation before you question what you know to be true in your heart about God.
If you begin to question who God is and what He has done in your life, take a deep breath and begin to practice gratitude. You will soon see how He has blessed your life, even during difficult moments. He is ever present and always eager to help those who love Him.
Consider starting a list of all of your blessings. Think about where you live, your friends and family, your source of income, and all of the beautiful things you can see when you go outside. There are so many things to be grateful for! These blessings are signs of our Creator.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. – 1 John 1:9
#4. Prioritize your time with God.
If you have realized that you need to start trusting God but believe that the problem might be that you do not prioritize your time with God well, the first thing to do is pray. Ask God to reveal to you where you need to make an adjustment in your schedule for more time with Him.
God might indicate that your schedule is out of balance. If so, you should make any needed adjustments to straighten it out. While it is wonderful to spend additional time doing one thing in particular, too often, this means that you are taking time away from other crucial things.
Tipping the scales in one direction over another means that you have a deficit somewhere. Your faith is not an area you want to neglect. It should be the top priority. Maybe you need to spice things up in order to get yourself to that point once again.
If that’s the situation, be thankful for the solution that the Lord will provide! Here are a few ways to light a fire in the spiritual area of your life.
- Check out a revival.
- Watch a sermon on YouTube.
- Go to a new church.
- Attend a Celebrate Recovery meeting.
- Join your church’s choir.
- Start a Bible study.
- Listen to praise and worship music.
- Read a popular Christian book.
- Watch an inspiring Christian movie.
#5. Look at answered prayers to see His faithfulness.
Answered prayers reveal to us that we faithfully pray about the things that are important to our lives. They also demonstrate God’s faithfulness. He does answer every prayer. It might not be what we expect or understand, but one way or another, He does answer them all.
Think about the things that you pray about. What would really happen if the Lord gave you your way every time you prayed? At first, it might be nice, but what about those times that you pray for something that you later regret asking for? He does what He does for a reason.
When you receive a response that you were not expecting or wanting, it might take time to adjust to the reality of what’s happened. Often, the best thing to do is to thank Him and ask Him why this happened the way it did. Plenty of good can come from prayers answered in His way.
I love Rick Warren’s Sermon on What to Do When God Says No. I’ve watched it more than once. He explains that nothing easy comes from the times when God said yes. Pastor Warren also said he grew from times when God said no. It’s quite eye-opening to think about!
Consider tracking your prayers so that you will know when God has answered them and how He responded. The results might surprise you. Grab our free prayer tracker for more assistance with this.
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him. – 1 John 5:14-15
Additional Ways to Start Trusting God in Difficult Times
As you have now read, there are many ways to learn how to start trusting God in difficult times. Additionally, you might want to try to read about His promises in the Bible and remember He does not ever lie. When you read your Bible through, you’ll see quite a few promises!
The more you read and study your Bible, the more you will see His promises fulfilled. This will strengthen your faith and show you that God is who He said He is. He is the Almighty One in Heaven. Your doubts and fears will soon fade away as you realize this truth.
Another way to trust God when times are hard is to live out the truths of the Bible through obedience. If you obey His way, you will experience joy. It might not feel that way at the start. Even when you are doing something you do not want to do, you can find joy in the Lord.
The joy of the LORD is your strength. – Nehemiah 8:10
Resources for Trusting God in Difficult Times
The following resources will help you on your journey to trust God when things are not going perfectly. We are promised hard times, so you should know that your Creator suffered also. He overcame the world, and you have His strength inside of you. Seek Him, and you will find Him.
Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. – Matthew 6:33
Books on Trusting God in Difficult Times
Use the following books on trusting God in difficult times to build strength during trials.
If you feel like your world is crashing down, be sure to reach out to a loved one for a chat about what you are going through. You do not have to do this alone. Call the National Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s Hotline at 1-800-662-HELP. It’s FREE.
Trusting God in Hard Times: Lessons From the Life of Elijah by Bill Crowder – This book looks at the life of the prophet Elijah and encourages you as you go through hardships. This devotional book might just win your heart.
Trusting God by Jerry Bridges – This is a very popular book with over 500,000 copies sold! The author aims to answer those difficult questions we have about trusting our Creator.
Take Heart: 100 Devotions to Seeing God When Life’s Not Okay by Grace P Cho and Anna Rendell is another perfect addition to the time you spend alone with God.
For further inspirational quotes on Trusting God in Difficult Times, be sure to explore our website more.
Trusting God Bible Studies
These Bible studies will take you deeper into Scripture as you learn how to start trusting God’s timing.
Trustworthy – Bible Study Book: Overcoming Our Greatest Struggles to Trust God by Lysa TerKeurst is one that I cannot wait to dive into. It has so much to offer. It covers the two books of Kings in the Bible.
Trusting God: A Girlfriends-in-God Faith Adventure looks very interesting! This book has a 12-week Bible study. It’s perfect for your quiet time, with journaling pages and more!
Isaiah – Bible Study Book with Video Access: Striving Less and Trusting God More by Melissa Spoelstra is on my Wishlist! This looks like a wonderful Bible study for additional strength!
Related Articles about How to Trust God in Difficult Times
As I thought about which articles would help you know how to trust God in difficult times, this one came to mind. It will help you build a foundation with our Lord and teach you many of the components of the Christian life. Use one or all of them to grow in your faith.
How to Build a Relationship with God (20 Ways) – Part 1
In this wonderfully informative series, you will learn 20 ways to build your relationship with God. The first part of this series begins by helping you adopt the following habits, routines, behaviors, or traits. Be sure to check out all four articles to learn many ways to get closer to God.
- Read your Bible.
- Study your Bible.
- Spend time in nature.
- Don’t compare your journey with that of others.
- Be Christ-like.
How to Build a Relationship with God (20 Ways) – Part 2
Grab the next five ways to build a relationship with God by reading this article. As you study these ways, you might discover that there are many things related to your faith that you have not tried yet. It’s always nice to refresh your time with God. Here are the key points.
- Praise and Worship the Lord
- Listen to God
- Spend Time in His Presence
- Offer God Thanksgiving
- Welcome the Holy Spirit into Your Heart
How to Build a Relationship with God – (20 Ways) – Part 3
You might find this part of this series to be the most applicable if you want to know how to start trusting God in difficult times. This article goes into much detail about why and how to trust God, even when it’s a very hard thing to do. Plus, there are other great things you can try!
- Trust in God’s plan for your life.
- How to Talk to God in Prayer
- Serve others.
- Attend church.
- Fellowship with other believers.
How to Build a Relationship with God (20 Ways) – Part 4
In the final part of this series, the focus is really on your relationship with the Father. Can you learn how to obey Him, worship only Him, etc.? It can be a challenge when peer pressure is pulling you the other way. Be sure to check out this section for some really great tips!
- Obey God.
- Worship God Only.
- Get to Know God.
- Serve God and Not This World.
- Honor the Lord in All that You Do.
Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes? – Matthew 6:25
A Video About Learning How to Trust God in Difficult Times
Learn How To Trust God’s Timing with Rick Warren
Listen to a great sermon on the subject of how to trust God during trials or when timing is not going your way. Remember that God has perfect timing, so do not try to rush Him!
Concluding Thoughts on Trusting God in Difficult Times
When it comes to trusting God in difficult times, the first thing you must decide is whether you believe in God. Belief is synonymous with trust. If you believe or have faith in something, you trust it. Wouldn’t you agree?
As you learn to trust God as your one and only Creator, remember that He can be trusted. This doesn’t mean that everything will always go your way, but it does mean that He will keep you safe and away from the evil in the world; just continue to believe and have genuine faith!
If you enjoyed this article, please share it on social media or pass it along to your family and friends. We are always happy to share the gospel or our brand of encouragement to new people!
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
