Increase Trust in the Lord – Part 2

We looked at two things to do to increase our trust in God on Wednesday: Know God and Recall what He has done. Knowing God’s character and the things that He has done, corporately and personally lay a firm foundation for us. Knowing Him personally and not just knowing His character takes more interaction, namely prayer and fellowship. These give us the opportunity to have personal interaction with Him ourselves and through others who reflect His image.

Pray for faith

I keep repeating that even the disciples who literally walked with Christ and saw every miracle for themselves asked for Him to increase their faith. We should too. When we see the problem as bigger than Jesus, when we see only the issue and not Him, we have to choose to put Him in front of us. The waves and the wind distracted Peter and he slipped under the water, but simply calling out put his focus back on Jesus. I don’t think that Jesus carried Peter to the boat, I think he walked back, maybe holding on to Jesus the whole way (Matthew 14:22-36). Prayer keeps our focus on Jesus, it diminishes the problems and the doubt.

We can be honest with Him. The psalms can be the basis of our prayer, like Psalm 20 (from verse 1), ‘May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.’ Make it personal, Lord, please answer me in my distress; protect me, Lord of Jacob, send help from your sanctuary and grant me support (verses 1-2). I trust in you, Lord my God. Increase my trust in you, do not let me be put to shame, don’t let my enemies win this (Psalm 25:1-2). He is here, and grabs hold to pull us from the depths like He did with Peter. Talk to Him about it.

Fellowship

When I say fellowship in this context, I am thinking of Romans 10:17, ‘faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.’ Perhaps this will seem a stretch, but this says faith comes from hearing. To me that means hearing people’s testimonies, including the Bible. There is something about not only reading (or skimming as we are wont to do) but also hearing the Bible read aloud. The Bible is full of testimonies of God’s actions in people’s lives. But since that is bound in time, we should also seek fellowship with more than the Word, with other believers. The Word is living and active, it reflects Him (Hebrews 4:12). We his people share testimonies and affirm who God is and what He has done even in the present time.

There are numerous free versions of the Bible already available in audio format; download one (and then listen to it). The only female recording seems to be the Courage for Life Bible, but there are others too. I’ve got an app and do my daily readings by reading along and listening. Additionally, participating in small group, attending church (getting involved with people), and Sunday School all increase our faith. We chat with people but hear too the work of Christ in their lives. This is like a living person-Bible.

Fellowship and prayer are another two ways to increase our trust in God. What else can we do? Is it a stretch to say the Bible is fellowship? Let me know what you think in the comments! Save the infographic to remind you to increase trust in God.