Trust God Even When You Don’t Understand

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5 (HCSB)

Many people ask God to guarantee their success before trying what he’s asked them to do—but that’s not faith. Faith always requires risk.

Faith means obeying even when you don’t understand. For example, forgiveness never seems like a good idea before I do it, but it’s one of the greatest tests of my faith. When someone hurts me, it may not feel right to forgive that person; it may not appear just. But forgiveness is always the right choice, regardless of whether I understand it.

Remember when I was younger and my parents told me to do something that didn’t make sense? Later I looked back with 20/20 hindsight and understood my parents’ perspective.

That’s how it works with God too.

Faith is doing what’s right even when it seems absurd. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding” (HCSB). I'll never know the whole picture, but God does.

The Bible gives a great example of this in the story of Gideon in Judges 7. Gideon led 300 Israelites to battle 135,000 enemy soldiers. The odds were 450 to 1. God had the soldiers take torches, trumpets, and clay pots—a command I’m sure Gideon thought was ridiculous.

But then God told Gideon to put the clay pots over the torches so the light would be hidden at night. Next he told them to go surround the enemy’s camp. God’s instructions were something like this: When I tell you, blow the trumpets, smash the jars, and let the torchlight blaze out in the darkness. It will look like a vast army is surrounding the camp. The enemy will panic, fall into confusion, and turn their swords against each other.

Gideon obeyed, even though it didn’t make any sense. The Israelites blew their trumpets, broke their pots, and revealed the light from their torches. The enemy soldiers woke up in shock and started fighting each other instead of the Israelites. Because Gideon did what God told him to do—even when he didn’t understand it—the Israelites won the battle.

Sometimes God asks me to do something that seems foolish—like stepping into a difficult situation against overwhelming odds. But when I have faith, I obey him even when I don’t fully understand what he’s asking.

Like Gideon and his soldiers, I can’t live by faith without risk. But God sees the big picture with 20/20 vision. I can trust what he’s asking me to do. 

In summary:   

Faith means trusting God completely and obeying Him even when His instructions don’t make sense to me. Proverbs 3:5 reminds me not to rely on my own understanding, because I never see the full picture—but God does. Forgiveness and other acts of obedience often feel risky or unreasonable, yet they are tests of faith that God always honors. The story of Gideon shows this vividly: though God’s battle plan seemed absurd, Gideon obeyed and God brought victory against impossible odds. In the same way, God may call me into situations that seem foolish or overwhelming, but true faith requires stepping forward in obedience, trusting that God sees what I cannot.

Bottom Line:  

Faith means obeying God even when it doesn’t make sense, trusting that He sees the whole picture and will work through my obedience.

Next Step:

Identify one area of your leadership or ministry where God is prompting me to take a step that feels risky or unclear, and intentionally act on it this week in obedience. Choose something aligned with my mission—launching a small teaching segment, sharing a devotional publicly, inviting someone into a coaching conversation, or moving forward on a workshop or email series—and take the step before you feel fully ready. Acting in obedience will build my faith, sharpen my leadership voice, and move my mission forward.