How to Know and Trust God’s Will for You

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Do you worry about the future? Have you ever struggled to trust God's will? These 5 Steps will help you know and trust His plans for your future. #Faith #Trust #God'sWill #Hope #Fearless #CountingMyBlessings #WWGGG #BlessingBloggers

One of the hardest sentences in my life has been…

“Lord, not my will but Yours be done.”

I’ve had more than a few times when I’ve gone into and through things kicking and screaming that seemed to be God’s will, or at the least, they were things He allowed!

Honestly, the idea of completely surrendering my life to the Lord terrified me.

Jesus said…

  • Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. (John 16:33)
  • You will be hated because you are my followers. (Matthew 24:9)
  •  I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. (John 15:19)
  • If you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:28)

I also looked around and witnessed the ways the enemy attacked God’s children.

Because of my weak and immature faith, I didn’t fully believe that I could…

Trust that God is who He says He is.
Believe He is able to do what He says He will do.
Live in peace knowing His love is greater than any circumstances.

I doubted His willingness to give me everything I need.

You’d probably admit that it’s easier to surrender to God’s will when life is easy and He’s working in ways that please you. It’s harder when you can’t understand your current situation or when the road ahead looks hard.

Maybe, like me, you want stronger faith. You want to face each day with obedient surrendered faith without an attitude that says, “MY will be done.”

So, I’ve challenged myself to read and repeat the following until I believe the truth . . . that living completely surrendered to God’s will is by far the best way to live. Until this truth becomes the only way I want to live.

How to Know and Trust God’s Will

Do you worry about the future? Have you ever struggled to trust God's will? These 5 Steps will help you know and trust His plans for your future. #Faith #Trust #God'sWill #Hope #Fearless #CountingMyBlessings

1. Know and Trust God’s Love for You

It’s hard to follow someone who doesn’t want what’s best for us and since the Garden of Eden, Satan has used whatever he can to tempt people to doubt God’s love.

Have you ever heard a child say “you don’t love me” to a parent’s “no?” Yet the job of a loving parent isn’t to make their children happy, it’s to do what is best to keep them safe and help them grow and mature.

I’m learning that as our loving Heavenly Father, God is at work in my life and yours guiding us, protecting us, and helping us grow and mature in faith and love.

And if you need a reminder of just how much God loves you…

God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 

1 John 4:9–10

That is HUGE love you and I can trust!

2. Know and Trust God’s Ability to Care for You

If fear and anxiety were Olympic sports, I’d have a trophy case full of medals. The list of things I’ve worried about is too long for this space. Even though I memorized the verse “don’t worry about tomorrow” as a child—applying it seemed beyond my anxiety overwhelm.

But you and I are not doing tomorrow yet. We are living today! It took several major crises before I learned that I just needed to let God help me through this present moment and trust Him to give me what I need in the next. That’s living through faith…

Believing God will meet each need one moment at a time!

Your Father already knows your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and He will give you everything you need.

Luke 12:30b–31

 3. Know and Trust God’s Mercy and Healing Grace

Dwelling on the past overwhelmed by guilt is as much of a problem as worrying about the future.

Through Christ Jesus, God completely forgives those who come to Him in repentance. With His help, we can trust Him and rest in His grace and mercy.

Part of surrendering means going to God in prayer asking Him to forgive our past and to help us by giving us everything we need to forgive others. When you and I focus on regret and revenge it’s impossible to surrender to God’s will. Lack of forgiveness will always rob us of God’s perfect peace and joy.

If we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

1 John 1:9

Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

Ephesians 4:32

4. Know and Trust God’s Timing

I’m not good at waiting … lines, doctors offices, etc. I have a schedule to follow. You too?!

But the truth is, there is no peace when I’m tapping my foot and staring at my watch. And there’s no peace when I try to put God on my prayer-answering timetable.

With the Spirit’s help, I’m surrendering my impatience to God, asking Him to help me trust His timing. And while I wait . . . I’m also asking Him to give me His peace and strength.


But they who wait upon the Lord will get new strength. They will rise up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired. They will walk and not become weak.

Isaiah 40:31

5. Know, Trust, and Obey God’s Will

I’m a creature of habits and truthfully, not all of them are good. It’s easy to make light of my sins, after all they’re not THAT bad. But all sins are a big deal. They rob me of peace, cause unpleasant consequences, and fail to glorify God.

Lately, I’ve been asking God to reveal to me the things culture and the church excuse that I have come to think of as acceptable to Him. I want to know, trust, and obey His will.

So, I’m asking God to help me know and trust His truth and commands. I’m asking Him to help me believe that His perfect will is best and that He will give me a heart for obedience … not to earn His favor but to glorify Him and testify to His love.

Lord, we show our trust in You by obeying Your laws;  our heart’s desire is to glorify Your name.

Isaiah 26:8

I’ll admit that I’m still a work in progress. I have so much to learn about completely surrendering to God’s will.

My sinful self wants to have total control over all that happens in my life. Most of the time, I want what I want and I want it now.

But experience has taught and is teaching me that fighting God’s plan for me will never offer me lasting happiness or peace. It hasn’t happened in the past and I doubt it will in the future.

I believe God wants to help us know and trust His perfect love and surrender to His will because He wants what is best for us today, tomorrow, and always.

Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me.

Isaiah 46:9

So with the Spirit’s help, I will surrender my will to God today.  

Not on my own.

But…

I can do all things through Christ because He gives me strength.

Philippians 4:13

And that is everything we need!

Do you worry about the future? Have you ever struggled to trust God's will? These 5 Steps will help you know and trust His plans for your future. #Faith #Trust #God'sWill #Hope #Fearless #CountingMyBlessings #WWGGG #BlessingBloggers

Here are a few quotes that inspire me. 

♥ “If my life is surrendered to God, all is well. Let me not grab it back, as though it were in peril in His hand but would be safer in mine!”~Elisabeth Elliot

♥ “It is wonderful what miracles God works in wills that are utterly surrendered to Him” ~Hannah Whitall Smith

♥ “Real contentment must come from within. You and I cannot change or control the world around us, but we can change and control the world within us.” ~Warren Wiersbe

♥ “Peace is the deliberate adjustment of my life to the will of God.” ~Author Unknown

Daily Prayers of Surrender to God’s Will

Years ago, a dear friend shared this morning prayer with me.

Father God, I surrender this day to You. I will follow where You lead me and do Your will as You reveal it to me. Please help me live this promise – that my life might glorify You alone. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Hannah Whithall Smith also wrote the following prayer:

Lord, I am Yours, I do yield and leave myself entirely to You and I believe You accept me. Work in me all the good pleasure of Your will and I will only lie still in Your hands and trust You. Amen. 

I hope these prayers bless and encourage you as you make it your heart’s desire to know and trust God’s will for you.

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16 Comments

  1. Praying to submit my will totally to God each and every day, Deb. It truly is the only pathway to true peace in life. Thanks, too, for sharing the prayers of others in this regard.
    Blessings!

    1. Me too, Martha! That is my prayer every day! You’re right, I have learned it is the only way to experience the courage, strength, and peace we want and need. Blessings to you!

  2. Laurel McLeod says:

    Thank you Deb for spiritual strength that was much needed for me day. I’m taking one day at a time & forgiveness is a huge quality I need more of, through prayer & relying on God all things are possible!

    1. Hi, Laurel! I need His grace and mercy every day . . . and continuously pray that He will pour it out through me to others. And yes, with God all things are possible! By His grace and for His glory! God bless you!

  3. It is one of the hardest thing for me at times. But I have surrendered to God’s will and seen His Hand at work .

    Great post. Love you, my friend

    1. Me too, Diana! His continued grace and work in changing me gives me courage to surrender again one day at a time. Blessings and hugs! Love to you!

  4. Catalina Rodriguez says:

    Hi Deb,
    Thank you this was a great read, a blessing I needed something like this. I liked the part help me glorify you Lord, I’ve been home during this Covid time, and to me it has been a blessing because I’ve been digging deep into God’s word it’s what I needed, God’s word!!! And thank you

    1. I love that Catalina! Way to put this time to great use. May God bless and encourage you as you spend time with Him through His Word. Blessings!

  5. Cheri Mello says:

    Thank You For A GREAT article Deb????????♥️!! I Got one the Other Day With Bible Verses And I Tried To Print It . maybe I Went To WRONG section. I REALLY ENJOYED that ALSL and enjoy looking up The verses

    1. Thank you, Cheri! I sure do appreciate your kindness. God bless you!

      1. Thank You Deb ♥️ I GOT IT???????? There WAS ANOTHER Article You Wrote , I WILL Go Back And Look on Your Blog Since I PIN Them. I have a Couple of Seizures The LAST Week AND a Half and I HAVENT HAD THEM FOR QUITE a LONG Time!!!????????Please KEEP Me In Prayer ????I THINK ITS STRESS!! THANK YOU ♥️G-d♥️Bless♥️

        1. I will pray for you, Cheri! I’m so sorry. Asking God to calm your anxiety with His peace and give you His strength. God bless you!

  6. I LOVE this breakdown! So often it’s just “trust God” and I can find that so hard. But really breaking down what it means to trust God is so powerful!!

    1. Thank you, Nicole! I so appreciate your kind encouragement. God bless you!

  7. Sandra Broaddus says:

    Stumbled across your blog this morning on Pinterest. Always amazed at how God works. It was just what I needed. Thank you for your teaching and encouragement.

    1. Thank you, Sandra! I’m so glad you visited and that you were blessed! God be with you!