Trusting God in the Process of Stepping Into the Unknown
As I write these words today, I am moving into a new season of learning to trust God—all while watching for doors of opportunity to open wide. Trusting God when life feels secure and predictable is one thing; trusting God in the process of stepping into the unknown is much more complicated.
Today, we’ll talk about trusting God in unknown situations. We’ll then explore a list of Bible verses to stand on when our trust falters.
Also, be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you grow in trust.
Trusting God in the Process
Our youngest child recently joined his older siblings at school every day, and 15 years of full-time mothering drew to an abrupt close.
I’m still my kids’ full-time mother, of course, but for five hours every day, the house is now still and silent. I’m experiencing new opportunities to connect with others and earn income to help support our family.
The shift has been filled with a combination of excitement, grief, and fear.
In one sense, I’m excited about the opportunities in front of me. At the same time, I’m grieving the end of my years as the mother of preschool-aged children. I also feel a twinge of fear as I ask dozens of questions about what’s next:
Will I be able to work outside the home and still care for the needs of our children when they’re sick? What will our summers look like? Is God leading me to work from home so that I’m available for them on sick days, appointment days, and snow days? Could writing become a bigger part of my life, or is God calling me to return to my career as a teacher?
Since this season is just beginning, it all feels so very uncertain, so incredibly unknown.
Trusting God in the Process of Stepping Out
Perhaps you’re facing an unknown future today as well.
Your uncertainty might involve your career, your family, an upcoming relocation, or questions about where God is leading you. You might be graduating, leaving your current job, getting married, or watching your oldest child leave home.
Maybe you’re navigating a divorce or the loss of a loved one. You look to the future, and the future seems uncomfortably vague.
If this is you, let the words of Proverbs 3:5-6 comfort you: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
In other words, you don’t have to have this figured out.
Trying to figure out what’s happening in your life might actually hinder your trust in God. God wants you to grow in trust, and trust must be built by walking through situations in which trusting God feels difficult.
God wants you to grow in trust, and trust must be built by walking through situations in which trusting God feels difficult. #faith #hope #trust #trustingGod Share on X
Growing in Trust
As I look to the future, I’ve been asking God to help me trust him more. I’ve been watching for employment opportunities that are a good fit, but I also realize that I don’t need to figure this out just yet. When the time is right, I trust God to lead me down the path that will be best for our family.
Meanwhile, I’m putting the words of the Proverb into action: I’m living in a close relationship with God and aiming to encounter him and stay close to him throughout my days (“acknowledging him”). I’m seeking him in all that I do, and I’m trusting him to make my path straight.
This has been a very imperfect practice, but staying close has been an anchor for me.
God is calling you to continue to stay close to him, too. Seek him and trust him to make your way straight and clear. He wants to guide you along the right path. This is his will for you, and when your will matches God’s will, you can trust in God’s will to be done.
Let’s talk about how to live this out in practical ways.
Concrete Ways to Practice Trusting God in the Process
1. Ask God to help you grow in trust.
When we’re honest, most of us don’t trust God perfectly. Rather than feeling ashamed of our imperfect trust, we can ask God to help us trust him more in these moments.
2. Rest in not understanding every aspect of the process.
I like to understand what’s happening around me and why it’s happening. Meanwhile, God calls us not to lean our understanding. We can trust him even when we don’t understand his ways.
3. Stay in step with God moment-by-moment.
Trusting God in the process happens as we watch for his movement in our lives and aim to stay in step with him. We live in the constant awareness that he is with us, looking to him and listening for his gentle impressions. 
4. Follow the light in front of your footsteps.
In response to our faith and trust, God promises to direct us.
Most of us would like five-year-plans, but God promises just enough light for the next step of the journey. We follow him one small step at a time, and he will make the way.
An Invitation to Reflect on Trusting God in the Process
What part of your life feels uncertain or unknown right now? What is God showing you about trusting him with this part of your life?
Let’s look at a list of truths to help us stay anchored to God as we trust him.
Bible Verses About Trusting God in the Process
1. Isaiah 41:10
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. ESV
God is with you, and he will uphold you and give you strength.
You can endure this uncertain time because you are not walking alone. Find comfort in the presence of God.
2. 1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
In uncertain times, it’s easy for fear to get a foothold.
We don’t need to fear because God’s love is in us.
Ask God to help you rest in his love as he pushes out all fear during this time.
3. Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
This verse reminds us that even in the darkest valleys, God is with us.
He comforts us and protects us. Nothing reaches us without passing through him first.
4. Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Rather than embracing anxious thoughts, God calls us to pray. When we do, his peace guards our hearts and minds.
Worrying creates the illusion of controlling life’s challenging situations; prayer actually makes an impact.
5. 1 Peter 5:7
Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
In uncertain times, God calls us to cast our anxieties and fears on him. Too often, I ruminate over fears and worries. Imagine how different our lives would be if we learned to cast our cares on him immediately!
6. Matthew 6:34
Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Much of what we worry about never ends up happening. May we remember this as we aim to live present to our daily moments, not worrying about the future.
7. Isaiah 40:31
But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Keep looking to God.
Wait on the Lord, and he will give you strength.
8. Psalm 27:14
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
God’s timing is always perfect. His ways are not our ways, but he will never abandon his children. He also promises to finish what he starts (see Phil. 4:6).
Ask God to give you courage as you wait for him to lead you forward.
In the meantime, he will show you how to be strong and keep working while you wait.
9. Isaiah 30:18
Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.
Remind yourself that God is looking for ways to show kindness and mercy to you. He might seem silent, but this does not mean he isn’t working in your life.
Trust that he is arranging the circumstances around you so that you will see his glory when your wait is over. He is never idle.
10. Ecclesiastes 3:1
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.
We can trust that when we seek God with our whole hearts, aiming to walk in his ways, he will deliver us at the right time.
11. Galatians 6:9
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
Years ago, an older woman encouraged me by telling me that she often experienced the greatest breakthroughs in her life just after renewing her commitment not to give up. She said that when she felt most tempted to give up, she turned to God and asked for direction. If she sensed him asking her to press forward, she obeyed.
She often experienced great breakthroughs shortly after obeying.
This reminds me that when I’m most tempted to walk away from an endeavor, I should seek God. If I sense him leading me to stay the course, I, too, often experience fruit on the other side of obedience.
12. 2 Peter 3:8
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
When God seems slow to act, we can remind ourselves that he is not in a hurry.
This verse reminds us that to God, a thousand years are like a day. We can rest in the One who is beyond time.
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If these reflections on trusting God in the process of waiting on him blessed you, I invite you to explore our family devotional books and library of free devotionals and eBooks below! Be blessed as you lean into God’s arms. He is trustworthy.
Calling All Moms and Dads!
Do you want to help your kids grow closer to God?
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 15, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents to read with their sons or daughters. 
A Devotional Book for Boys
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Two Devotional Books for Mothers and Daughters to Read Together
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Find all three books right here. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Healing and Deliverance
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
A Free Devotional for You
Set Free: Let God Do What You Cannot explores ten realms in which most of us need God to work in our lives and bring deliverance. We’ll talk about finding freedom from fear, worry, insecurity, bad habits, emotional pain, and more. This short online devotional will bless you as you let God accomplish what you’ve been unable to achieve through willpower. Get your download for free with promo code GRACE right here. I also offer a full library of devotional eBooks to help you grow in trust here. Be blessed as you seek the Lord!
