Early in my teaching career, I learned that to have credibility with my students, I had to “say what I mean and mean what I say.” Young people have the ability to spot inauthenticity miles away and have no problem calling out promises that are not kept. If I threatened to keep them in during recess, I had to do it. If I promised a reward, I had to follow through. If I promised an activity would be fun and they didn’t see it, they had no qualms questioning my definition of "fun."
In time, it built a community of honesty and mutual trust. My students knew I would follow through, and I knew I was seeing them as they really were.
Trust is a Gift
Trust is a fragile, precious gift. It doesn’t just happen. It is given and accepted slowly, over time. To trust means to be vulnerable and to risk being hurt when that vulnerability is not received. To trust someone means you also know them intimately and personally. It means you know they will come through for you and they will fight for you. When you trust someone, you know they are about your good and for your good.
We grow in trust in the Lord in the same way we grow in trust of others. Trust in God grows slowly over time. We encounter Him in the Word and Sacraments. We learn through experience that God receives our weaknesses and loves us through them. We learn that God "says what He means and means what He says.” We learn that He keeps His promises. The fragile, precious gift of our trust finds a home in His Heart.
Scripture Verses about Trust
Where best do we learn this but through Scripture? When my trust in the Lord is shaken (or at least needs reminding and strengthening), I root myself in the promises of God. Sometimes I will pray with one verse a day, just letting the Word permeate my being.
Other times I pray the Scriptures like a litany, allowing myself to be overwhelmed by the promises of God. Here is my current litany:
I, the Lord do not change. // Malachi 3:6
I love you, says the Lord. // Malachi 1:2
I will give you peace. // Haggai 2:9
God is faithful. // 1 Corinthians 10:13
The Lord is near. // Philippians 4:5
He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. // Proverbs 30:5
My God will fully supply whatever you need, in accord with the glorious riches in Christ Jesus. // Philippians 4:19
The Lord listened attentively. // Malachi 3:16
I am a Father. // Jeremiah 31:9
I am the Resurrection and the Life. // John 11:25
I am the one who searches mind and heart. // Revelation 2:23
I will walk among you, and will be your God, and you shall be my people. // Leviticus 26:12
I am the Lord, the God of all the living. Is anything too difficult for me? // Jeremiah 32:27
The Lord is a warrior. // Exodus 15:3
God’s way is unerring. // 2 Samuel 22:31
No single thing escapes Him. // Sirach 42:20
I am always with you. // Psalm 73:23
Scripture Verses about Trusting Our Call from Him
Trusting in Who the Lord says He is helps me also trust who He says I am. When I am tempted to believe what the world says, I conquer it with what God says. When I am tempted to believe what my broken heart says, I choose to repeat what the Lord says instead.
I have chosen you. // Haggai 2:23
All who are called by my name I created for my glory. // Isaiah 43:7
You have the Lord for your refuge. // Psalms 91:9
You were called for freedom. // Galatians 5:13
I love you, says the Lord. // Malachi 1:1
The Father Himself loves you. // John 16:27
The one who calls you is faithful, and He will also accomplish it. // Thessalonians 5:24
Lord, you know me, you see me, you have found that my heart is with you. // Jeremiah 12:3
Truly the Lord is waiting to be gracious to you, truly He shall rise to show you mercy. // Isaiah 30:18
What Trust Demands
Trusting in the Lord also makes His commands understandable and embraceable. If the Lord is Who He says He is, and I am Who He says I am, then He won’t ask anything more (or less) than what I am capable.
We trust not only the Ten Commandments and the teachings of the Church, but also what He commands of us in Scripture:
Give me your heart. // Proverbs 23:26
Come now, let us set things right. // Isaiah 1:18
Do not worry about your life. // Matthew 6:25
Do not fear, I am with you. // Isaiah 41:10
For freedom Christ set us free, so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. // Galatians 5:1
Offer praise as your sacrifice to God. // Psalm 50:14
Take refuge in God all you people, trust Him at all times, pour out your hearts before Him. // Psalm 62:8
What Scripture verses speak to your heart and help you grow in trust?
Scripture Verses about Trust #BISblog //Click to tweet
Sr. Mary Claire of the Holy Family is a member of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT) and currently serves in Corpus Christi, TX. She loves Jesus and Mary, and her students would say every Saint is her favorite. She graduated with a degree in elementary education and is currently working on a Masters in Theology from her Alma Mater, Franciscan University. A Tennessee girl who could live off Dr. Pepper and popcorn, she loves road trips, especially this one we are on to Heaven.
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