Recently, I wrote about my mother’s heart valve replacement and her fear around scheduling the necessary procedure. My mother’s faith in God is strong and always has been, but worried that something would go wrong, she couldn’t face having the surgery until she consciously put all of her trust in the Lord’s hands. Her situation left me wondering…is there a difference between faith and trust? This question has been on my mind for a while now.
It is one thing to believe in God, but another entirely to trust blindly in Him. And it is human nature to fear the unknown. The struggle with placing our trust entirely in God is something we must all face at one time or another.
It boils down to this: faith is a belief system; trust is action. Faith is believing that God is who God says He is and that what God can do, only God can do. But trust takes things a step further. It is making the willful choice to trust that God will do what He promises. The head versus heart.
Here’s an example. In the Gospel, there is a story of a sick child whose father told Jesus, “I believe, help my unbelief.” Just like the father in the story, my mother had faith in God. But she needed to trust that God was in control of her situation before moving forward with the procedure.
Most of us believe in the power of God thanks to our personal experiences and through reading the Bible. But putting these beliefs into action can be a true challenge for most. Placing our trust in God is our choice and one that we must make wholeheartedly. But no matter what, God is with us.
Lord, help us put our faith into action so that we can trust You wholeheartedly with our lives.
