What Lent Teaches Us About Trusting God

This Week’s Reading: 

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. 

He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream,  

And does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green,   

And is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”  

– Jeremiah 17:7-8  

Reflection: 

The Lord is trustworthy. It is good for us to trust in the Lord. Scripture tells us to. But how do we trust when we’re waiting on God, when the path isn’t clear, or when it feels suffocating to give something over to Him?  

For much of my life, I’ve walked on a tightrope. I’ve balanced the weight of all the things I carry, trying not to slip and fall. I’ve placed my trust in God, and I believe in Him. Yet I often don’t believe that He can carry all the things I carry: the weight of my burdens, my sins, my future, my relationships. I call God the Lord of my life while I harbor all my stuff tightly to my chest, terrified that if I drop something, I’ll lose it all.     

So I let myself suffer, trying to balance my life in my own hands, wanting to control the outcome, and telling God I can handle it on my own.   

As I admit this, I imagine God looking at me with kindness, patiently reminding me that I was never meant to carry these things alone. It’s a cycle I put myself through, thinking I’ll learn and do better next time. But when the next time comes, well, I’m sure you can guess how the story often ends.  

This Lent, I’ve been able to recognize this cycle in myself. The Lord has been leading me to give up my lack of trust piece by piece. I’ve struggled with this for several years, and I realize it won’t be easy to surrender. I often think I have to run at a sprint pace. If I just run as fast as I can, it’ll eventually be fixed, and the issue will be solved. But God has lovingly helped me realize that sanctification is a process, a lifelong process. Therefore, some of the hardships and struggles I am fighting may take a lifetime to overcome.  

Not to say that God can’t change me, because He certainly can. Sometimes these struggles just take time to be uprooted. As I fight my flesh and grow weary, I have to fall into rhythms of prayer, speaking Scripture over my soul, and running back to God. Hiding from Him won’t do any good.   

Shifting From Control to Surrender 

This struggle with trust is one reason Lent can be so meaningful. This season encourages us to practice trusting God in tangible ways. How? Lent leads us to surrender the things that are preventing us from drawing near to God. In my season of Lent, I’ve had to surrender control over my life, letting God take the control that’s rightly His.  

Whenever we surrender something to God, we are trusting that He will sustain us even when we feel the absence of what we gave up. During Lent, we sacrifice and let go so we can draw closer to God. We give up our control and comfort—the things we rely on—and allow space for God to speak and move in our lives. When we give something up, we are reminded how often we rely on things other than God for comfort or control. Lent exposes those attachments and invites us to place our trust back where it belongs, in the hands of the Lord.  

Rooted by the Water 

Jeremiah 17 speaks to the wisdom that comes from trusting in the Lord: 

“Blessed is the man that trusts in the Lord” (v. 7).
God blesses those who trust in Him.  

“He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream” (v. 8).
A tree planted by water embeds its roots right by the stream. It obtains its sustenance from the water constantly. The tree doesn’t panic when drought comes because its roots already know where the water is. When our trust is rooted in God, we may still experience difficult times, but we are sustained by a source deeper than our circumstances.  

When we trust God, we can be as wise as the tree planted by water. God is our maker and sustainer; He fulfills and satisfies our souls. Letting go of our control and placing our trust in the Lord brings us closer to Him. As we release the outcomes we want to control, we begin to see how God works and provides for us in ways we never expected.  

Lent ultimately reminds us of Jesus, who trusted the Father completely, even to the point of the cross. Because Jesus trusted perfectly where we often struggle, we can come to God repeatedly, learning to trust Him more each day.  

Trusting God isn’t always easy, but as we sacrifice control and depend on Him, our trust will deepen as we see Him work in our lives.  

Questions to Consider:   

• Where in your life are you trying to maintain the most control?   

• What fears or uncertainties make it difficult for you to trust God?   

• When has God provided for you in a way you didn’t anticipate?   

• What is one thing you can surrender to the Lord during Lent that might help you depend on God more?   

Closing Prayer:   

Lord, thank You for the ways You love me so well. Thank You for being my helper and strength. In this season of Lent, help me to release control in the areas of my life I haven’t surrendered to you yet. Help me fully trust in You. Your plans are far better than mine. I pray that I might have a heart that trusts You in everything. Thank You for laying Your life down for me. Thank You for forgiving my sins. May I be like the tree planted by the water, rooted and trusting You in everything. Amen.