When it’s Hard to Trust God

 SCRIPTURE READING —Genesis 15:1-6 -  After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue[a]childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son[b] shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness. 

In this scripture passage, we notice that although Abraham had strong faith, he still struggled with persistent fears and doubts. That’s why, at the beginning of Genesis 15, God reassures him by saying, “Do not be afraid… I am your shield, your very great reward.” Despite God’s promise a decade earlier that Abraham would become the father of a great nation, his faith wavered because he and Sarai still had no child. 

We have all experienced the disappointment of broken promises, the pain of promises unfulfilled can leave an aching void in our hearts and homes. Maybe, like Abraham, you respond to God’s call, taking steps of faith and making sacrifices for His kingdom, yet you find that the results you hoped for remain unseen and there is nothing concrete happening in your life. 

At times like this, it can be hard to keep trusting in God. Like the psalmist you cry out, “How long, Lord, how long?” (Psalm 6:3). 

The good news is that God understands your doubts and fears. He graciously responds to the prayer that says, “Lord, I believe. Help me overcome my unbelief. Help me trust you more—even when I don’t see or understand your ways, even when it seems to be taking so long” (Read Mark 9:24 - Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”). 

God explains that His ways are higher than we can imagine (Isaiah 55:9 - “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.). And His timing is impeccable—never early, never late.