Trusting God When You Don’t Understand

Trusting God When You Don’t Understand

Scripture References

• 1 Samuel 1
• Proverbs 3:5
• Jeremiah 29:11

Overview

Pastor Craig unpacked why “trust in the Lord with all your heart” is both the most-quoted and one of the most-ignored commands in Scripture. Using Hannah’s long wait for a child in 1 Samuel 1, he showed that real trust is forged in trials, not comfort. Hannah pre-decided to keep worshipping—even while nothing changed—and God eventually answered, revealing that He often works in us before He works for us. The call: choose today to trust and worship God “once more,” whatever the circumstance.

Context

• Week 3 of the “Think Ahead” series, built on Pastor Craig’s book of the same name.
• Previous weeks: David (intimacy with God) and Job (covenant with his eyes).
• Today’s predetermination: like Hannah, trust God no matter what you see.

Main Points

1. The Everyday Struggle to Trust

• Proverbs 3:5 is easy on a coffee mug, hard in real life.
• “What you worry about the most often reveals where you trust God the least.”
• Common worries: tests, schedules, finances, health, relationships.
• Zero-to-panic illustration: Pastor Craig checking “Find My Friends” when Amy is late.

2. Hannah’s Pain and Predetermined Trust

• Setting: Hannah is barren, Peninnah taunts her “year after year.”
  • Illustration: annual temple trip where Peninnah flaunts her children, reducing Hannah to tears and fasting.
• Cultural shame: barrenness viewed as curse or punishment.
• Even her husband Elkanah misunderstands (“Am I not better than ten sons?”).
• Despite confusion, Hannah runs toward God, not away, pouring out “deep anguish” in prayer.

3. Honest Prayer Can Co-Exist with Deep Trust

• Hannah vows: if God grants a son, she will dedicate him to lifelong service.
• Eli’s blessing: “Go in peace; may God grant your request.”
• Immediate circumstance unchanged, yet “she was no longer sad.”
  • Decision: Trust God > Feelings.

4. Worshiping “Once More” Before the Breakthrough

• The family rises early and worships “once more” with no visible answer.
  • Quote: “One of the biggest acts of faith is to praise God when you still don’t see it.”
• Pastor Craig’s own “front-row sob” story before preaching—worshiping through unresolved pain.

5. God Works In Us Before He Works For Us

• In “due time” God gives Hannah a son, Samuel (“heard by God”).
• Dedication fulfilled; Samuel becomes key leader, prophet, and link in the lineage to Christ.
• Delays may refine trust and align our hearts with God’s greater purposes.

6. Practical Tool: Remember His Faithfulness

• Pastor Craig’s five-year journal: reviewing past entries proves God’s consistent answers and builds future trust.

Key Truths

• Trust grows deepest in trials, not in comfort.
• Persistent worry flags the areas where we have withheld trust from God.
• Honest lament is not unbelief; it is often the path back to faith.
• Worship is an act of faith, not a reward for favorable circumstances.
• God’s timing is purposeful; He may be shaping you before shaping your situation.

Response

• Cry out honestly to God about the situation you cannot change.
• Predetermine: “Whatever happens, I will worship the Lord once more.”
• Record today’s burdens and watch for future proofs of God’s faithfulness.
• Dedicate the gifts God gives—relationships, resources, opportunities—back to His service.
• Replace recurring worries with a spoken declaration: “I choose to trust You here.”

Closing

Pastor Craig invited anyone unsure of their standing with God to move from self-reliance to total trust in Christ’s finished work. Just as Hannah’s surrender preceded her miracle, our salvation begins with surrender.

“Help us, God, to trust in You with every bit of our hearts—no matter what we see.”

Prayer

Pastor Craig led the church in two moments of prayer:

1. Intercession for those carrying heavy burdens—asking God to lift heads and renew trust.
2. Salvation prayer for those stepping from sin into Christ’s forgiveness, surrendering entire lives to Jesus.

Resources

• Book: “Think Ahead” by Craig Groeschel
• The Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast (latest episode features a chapter from “Think Ahead”)