Keys to

Trusting God
BY JOYCE MEYER
Unless otherwise noted, scriptures are from the AMPLIFIED Bible, Classic
Edition (AMPC). Copyright ©1954, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by the Lockman
Foundation.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas
Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

©2018 Joyce Meyer Ministries

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or
used in any amount whatsoever without the express written permission of the
publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Printed in the United States of America.

First Printing, 2018

ISBN 978-1-942854-70-8            

Joyce Meyer Ministries

P.O. Box 655
Fenton, Missouri 63026
joycemeyer.org
 Keys to
Trusting God
 Table of
Contents

6 9
INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1:
Trust God
& Do Good

15 21
CHAPTER 2: CHAPTER 3:
God Is The Ultimate
Faithful Stress Reliever

27 34
CHAPTER 4: CHAPTER 5:
Trusting God Get to
Through the Storm Know Him
 INTRODUCTION

Nearly 50 years ago, during the early years of my

marriage to Dave, my mother-in-law gave me a
Bible. Inside the front of it, she wrote the following
scripture...

Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each

care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and
be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass.

It’s Psalm 37:5, and at that time, I had no idea just how
much that scripture would come to mean to me. In
those days, my life was a complete mess. I was wound-
ed and broken from years of verbal, emotional, and sex-
ual abuse from my father. To say I had a “trust” problem
would be a major understatement!

However, over the years, through reading and study-

ing God’s Word, He began to heal my broken life...and
He changed me into someone who could be a value to
other people. Over time, as I got to know God’s love
and faithfulness firsthand, He taught me that I could
really trust Him—with myself, my future, and with
other people.

8
I often say that trust requires unanswered questions.
It requires us to fully lean on God, believing He has our
best interest in mind. I also know it’s easier said than
done. When “life” happens—when we’re going through
difficult times or we can’t quite see how everything’s
going to work out—it’s easy to want to question God or
take matters into our own hands.

I spent years asking, “Why, God, why?” until I finally got

the message: We don’t have to figure everything out
and know all of the answers—we just have to know “the
One Who knows.”

Over the years, the Lord has taught me so much about

trusting Him, and I am so excited to share some of it
with you in this book. Trust brings peace and freedom.
Trust is the answer to worry, stress, and anxiety. Trust-
ing God is literally the answer to everything we will go
through in life!

I don’t say this flippantly, but I believe the content in

this book will change your life if you read and truly
begin to apply these teachings. They are principles that
I have learned over a lifetime...ones I am so grateful to
share with you.

I can trust God because He has been faithful and He

has proven Himself over and over in my life. He also

9
 wants to prove Himself to you. He longs to help you, to
show Himself kind to you...to prove that you really can
trust Him.

Whether you’re going through good times or bad times,

remember that God is always on your side and He
always has a good plan for your future. When you’re
feeling scared or anxious, not knowing what the future
holds, God is still in control. And the four greatest words
you can say at that moment are, “God, I trust You.”

10
 - CHAPTER 1 -
Trust God
& Do Good
I’ve been teaching the Word of God for more than
40 years now, and one of the most life-changing
things I’ve learned is that God is always right! No
matter what I think, how I feel, or what my circum-
stances look like, His wisdom and His way of doing
things are always the answers to my problems.

I’d like for you to look with me at Psalm 37:3. I believe

it contains some of the greatest instruction there is for
having a great life. It says, Trust (lean on, rely on, and be
confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in
the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly
you shall be fed.

All of us go through difficult times and experience pain

and disappointment. In John 16:33, the Lord even tells
us that “in this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33
NIV). However, I believe Psalm 37:3 provides us with
God’s prescription for every problem we face: Trust
God and do good.

11
 God’s Word is medicine that brings healing and res-
toration to our souls. Our doctor is Jesus, we are His
patients, and we can take His medicine—“Trust God”
and “Do good”—as much as we need to. And refills are
endless!

But there are side effects. When you trust God, you will
experience peace, joy, stability, confidence, and overall
better health. When you do good, you’ll have extreme
happiness and rewards in Heaven!

“DO YOU TRUST ME?”

Trusting God brings such freedom. Many times things
happen that we simply don’t understand. But that’s okay—
we don’t have to figure everything out. We can trust God
that He knows and will take care of everything.

Maybe someone has really hurt you, and what’s hap-

pening doesn’t seem fair at all. The Bible says that God
will be your vindicator (see Psalm 135:14) As you place
your trust in Him, you open the door for Him to work
in your situation and deal with the people who have
mistreated you.
TRUST GOD & DO GOOD

Your faith and trust also allows God to take the wrong
things that have happened and ultimately work out
them out for your benefit (see Romans 8:28).

The Bible teaches us that it’s not the things that happen
to us that determine the quality of our lives—it’s how we

12
choose to respond to them that really makes all of the
difference. And trusting God is the key to making right
choices that bring us the life He has planned for us.

We can choose to trust God. The truth is, God is the

only One we can completely trust to take care of us
and do what’s best for us at all times, in every situation.

Maybe you’re thinking, Well, I trusted God, and He

didn’t take care of me. I understand how you feel, be-
cause I’ve gone through hard things and didn’t get what
I wanted, when I thought I should get it, in the way I
thought it should come.

However, what I failed to understand was that doing

what we want and getting our way all the time isn’t what
will make us happy. Being selfish and self-centered is
actually a miserable way to live!

God is faithful, and He promises to take care of us as

place our trust in Him. However, an important part of
trusting Him is trusting in His will and timing.

It’s good for us to tell God what we want, but we also

need to realize that He is smarter than we are! I’ve
learned to pray, “God, if what I want is not what You
want for me, then please don’t give it to me! I want to
do Your will in this situation, and I’m trusting You to
give me what You want for me.”

13
 That’s why it’s so important to study and meditate on
God’s Word. As we do, it renews our minds so we think
the way He thinks. It also turns our will in God’s direc-
tion so we want what He wants for us.

Remember, trust requires unanswered questions. It

requires us to fully lean on God, believing and trusting
that He has our best interest in mind. The Lord has
asked me this many times, and I believe He is also
asking you:

“Do you trust Me?”

PUTTING YOUR FAITH INTO ACTION

The second part of the prescription is just as import-
ant—do good! One of the most powerful things you
can do when you’re hurting is to reach out and help
someone else. You not only sow seeds for your own
breakthrough, but helping others releases tremendous
joy. Nehemiah 8:10 says, “...the joy of the Lord is your
strength” (NIV).

I know it’s not always easy to trust God and do good.

But it’s the best option because it’s the only thing that
TRUST GOD & DO GOOD

will really work. I know it works because I was a mess,

and learning how to trust God and obey His Word has
literally changed my life!

I wish I could get people to understand how pathetic

my life was when I received my first Bible from my

14
mother-in-law. It’s so amazing how learning to believe
God’s Word—to trust Him and obey Him—has complete-
ly changed me inside and out.

Let’s look again at Psalm 37:5. It says, Commit your way

to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on
Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in
Him and He will bring it to pass.

Life in God is a journey, and we partner with Him by

putting our trust in Him (see 1 Corinthians 1:9). When
we’re dealing with a difficult situation, He may also
show us something we need to do that will help solve
our problem.

I remember when God spoke to my heart that Dave

and I should take care of my parents in their old age.
This meant we would move them to the city where we
live, buy a home for them, and provide the care they
needed. This was so hard for me because my father
had abused me throughout my childhood and my moth-
er had abandoned me by not doing anything to stop it.

But God gave me the grace to do it, and one of the

results was that my father accepted Christ as his Savior
before he died. This is one of the greatest victories I’ve
ever had!

I want to encourage you to trust God completely in

every area of your life. Remember that He is always on

15
 your side and He is fighting for you as you go through
the challenges in your life. He loves you and has your
best interest at heart at all times.

No matter what you need or what your circumstances

are, you can live with peace, joy, stability, confidence and
overall better health if you will trust God and do good.
TRUST GOD & DO GOOD

16
 - CHAPTER 2 -
God Is
Faithful
I think all of us at one time or another have won-
dered, Is God really going to come through for me?
Can I really trust Him…or do I need to have a backup plan?
If God doesn’t come through quickly enough, how long am
I willing or prepared to wait for Him to act?

Psalm 37:1-3 holds a great promise for us. In the last

chapter, we looked at verse three, but I love the message
God gives us in verses one and two as well. They say:

Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious

of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon
wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust
in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy
safe pasture (NIV).

These verses reassure us that we don’t need to be

worried about everything wrong that’s happening in the
world, because God is still in control. And He’s going to
take care of us as long as we trust Him and do good.

17
 TRUSTING GOD WHEN LIFE DOESN’T
MAKE SENSE
Making a firm decision to trust God is especially im-
portant in situations where we don’t understand why
things are happening the way they are. Remember,
trust will require unanswered questions!

For instance, years ago I really had to trust God when

He told me to quit my job so I could stay home and
study the Word more. This was the season when He
was preparing me for full-time ministry.

It was so hard because without me working, we were

$40 short of what we needed each month just to pay
our bills. I would go to garage sales to buy clothes for
my kids, and we kept giving and tithing as God spoke
to our hearts to do it.

For six years we had to have a miracle every month in

our finances, and it didn’t make any sense to me at all
why it was taking so long for us to get a breakthrough
in our situation.

But I understand now that God was teaching me how

to trust Him for every little thing I needed every day.
Everything I went through with God during those six
GOD IS FAITHFUL

years prepared me to do what we’re doing in ministry

now. And it takes a lot more to keep the ministry going
today than what we needed to pay our bills back then!

18
I’m so glad God helped me stay determined not to give
up or try to meet all of our needs in my own strength.
I’m grateful that He helped me to move forward de-
spite the questions I had. I needed those years of being
home full-time to study the Word and apply the biblical
principles I was learning practically in my own life be-
fore I could do what I’m doing today.

IN GOD’S WAITING ROOM

Trusting God is an absolute necessity when we are wait-
ing for the things He has promised us. For instance, the
Lord first spoke to my heart about Joyce Meyer Minis-
tries in the 1970s. I knew He was telling me that I would
one day have a large ministry and teach the Word of
God all over the world.

However, even though I thought I was ready, I had a lot

of maturing to do. To make a long story short, this big
vision God had given me wasn’t just going to happen
overnight—it was going to be a process that took years.

It’s during these seasons of waiting that doubts will

come and try to convince us that we never heard from
God in the first place or we did something to mess it all
up. That’s when we need to trust! That’s when we need
to continue looking at our future with “the eye of faith,”
confident that God will do what He said He will do.

Hebrews 11:1 says, Now faith is the assurance (the confir-

mation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being

19
 the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction
of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not
revealed to the senses].

We need to exercise our faith for those things we hav-

en’t yet seen but believe are still coming. Trust is God’s
antidote for fear and doubt!

I honestly can’t even tell you how many times over the
years the enemy has come at with me doubts concern-
ing what God spoke to my heart for this ministry. They
went something like this...

“Who do you think you are? You are going to go around

the world and teach God’s Word—you, a housewife
from Fenton, Missouri, who nobody knows?”

“What makes you think you can start a TV program?

You don’t know anything about going on TV. It costs
more than you can afford, and you’re just going to fail
and make a fool of yourself in the process.”

When those doubting thoughts from the enemy came,

I had to exercise my faith—I had to choose to trust God
and believe what He spoke to my heart!
GOD IS FAITHFUL

REMEMBER ABRAHAM
During times of doubt and uncertainty, I encourage
you to study the story of Abraham in the Bible. God
promised Abraham that he would have a child and

20
become the father of many nations. However, Abraham
and Sarah were already quite old and well past their
child-bearing years.

How did Abraham respond? Romans 4:18-19 says: [For

Abraham, human reason for] hope being gone, hoped in
faith that he should become the father of many nations,
as he had been promised, So [numberless] shall your
descendants be.

He did not weaken in faith when he considered the

[utter] impotence of his own body, which was as good
as dead because he was about a hundred years old, or
[when he considered] the barrenness of Sarah’s [dead-
ened] womb.

Abraham considered the facts. But he still believed

God was greater. Verse 20 goes on to tell us:

No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly

question) concerning the promise of God, but he
grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave
praise and glory to God.

Abraham is such a great example for how to act while

we wait. What should we do? We should stay in faith
and keep trusting! Instead of relying only on what we
see around us, you and I can choose to believe God’s
Word. And we can open our mouths to worship God
and speak words of thanks, like this:

21
 “God, I remember the good things You’ve done for me
and how You’ve been faithful to those who’ve trusted
in You through the ages. I’m giving You praise today
because I know You’ll always be faithful.”

Doubt can’t hang around if you if you will open your

mouth and war against it with words of faith!

Like Abraham, we all have times of waiting that God uses

to test and stretch our faith. But He promises to work all
things out for the good of those who love Him and are
called according to His purpose (see Romans 8:28).

God wants to use the challenges we experience to

draw us closer to Him so that when our prayer is finally
answered and our day of breakthrough comes, we’ll be
stronger in our faith and able to withstand any opposi-
tion that comes against us.

So, what is your dream or vision? Maybe you’re praying

for a better job or believing God for a breakthrough
in a relationship or another area. Whatever it is, don’t
give up! Regardless of how long it takes or what tries
to discourage you, decide to put your trust in God and
continue doing everything He shows you to do.
GOD IS FAITHFUL

It’s not time for a backup plan. It’s time to step out and
experience the extraordinary faithfulness of God.

22
 - CHAPTER 3 -
The Ultimate
Stress Reliever
Stress is a modern-day epidemic. Every one of us
deals with a degree of stress; however, God never
intended for us to live our entire lives stressed out.

Proverbs 12:25 says, Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it

down.... Stress and worry have an impact on every sin-
gle area of our lives—they affect us mentally, emotion-
ally, and physically. They have been proven to cause
problems like muscle tension, headaches, increased
heart rate and a list of other potential issues.

But there’s good news: God has given us the ultimate

natural stress reliever. What is it? Trust.

Proverbs 3:5 is one of my favorite scriptures. It says,

Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with
all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own
insight or understanding.

Trusting God is the greatest stress reliever in the

world. However, the choice is up to us. We can “rely on

23
 our own insight and understanding”—endlessly thinking
about our problems, trying to figure everything out our-
selves. Or we can choose a trusting attitude that says:

“God, I’m not sure what to do about my situation, but I

know that I can’t fix it on my own. If there is something
specific You want me to do, please show me. Mean-
while, I’m going to trust You and enjoy my life while You
work on my problems.”

WHY WORRY?
Worry is the opposite of faith and trust. It steals our
peace and joy and even makes us sick. When we worry,
we actually torment ourselves—we’re doing the enemy’s
job for him!

Worry is caused by not trusting God to take care of the

various situations in our lives. Too often we trust our
own abilities, believing that we can figure out how to
take care of our own problems. However, we eventually
learn one way or another that trying to take care of
everything ourselves is too big of a task. 
THE ULTIMATE STRESS RELIEVER

I used to be a professional worrier—I was good at it.

Years ago, when my children were young, I would sit at
our kitchen table and spend hours looking at our bills,
worrying how we would pay them. My husband, Dave,
on the other hand, would be sitting on the floor in the
TV room, letting the kids put curlers in his hair.

24
I would say, “Dave how can you have fun at a time like
this?” And he would answer, “Joyce, we’ve prayed about
it, and we’re doing everything we know to do. I refuse
to be miserable with you.”

It made me so mad! But Dave was right. I was allowing

myself to get upset and waste time I could have been
spending with my children.

In John 14:27 Jesus says, Peace I leave with you; My

[own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as
the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts
be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing
yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not
permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and
cowardly and unsettled.]

I love this! God is saying, “I am giving you My peace, but

the choice is up to you!”

Again, we so often we believe our circumstances are

to blame for our unhappiness; however, it’s the way we
respond to our circumstances that usually causes worry
and stress.

“CAST YOUR CARE”

Dave and I have been married for over 50 years, and
I can’t even count the times I’ve come to him with a
problem only to have him respond with these same
three words: “Cast your care.”

25
 At first, I didn’t want to hear this answer—I was worried,
frustrated and upset, and I wanted some “deep” solu-
tion or a Word from God to help me get through it. But
this is a Word from God—it’s exactly what the Bible
tells us to do!

Look with me at 1 Peter 5:6-7. I can say these verses

have truly been life-changing scriptures for me:

Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower yourselves

in your own estimation] under the mighty hand of God,
that in due time He may exalt you, casting the whole of
your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your
concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you
affectionately and cares about you watchfully.

In the dictionary, the word cast means, “to pitch or to

throw.” God wants us to pitch or throw our cares and
worries onto Him and allow Him to carry the weight of
them. He wants us to trust Him to take care of it!

But this requires a decision on our part. I’ve learned

THE ULTIMATE STRESS RELIEVER

firsthand that the only way to have what God says we

can have is to do what His Word says to do. In this case,
if we want to have His peace, then we must hand our
worries over to the Lord.

26
So, when things come our way that cause us to be con-
cerned, we need God’s help. How do we get it? First
Peter 5:6-7 lists two important steps:

1. Humble yourself.
2. Cast your care on Him.

How do we humble ourselves? We honestly come be-

fore God and let Him know we can’t do it on our own—
that we need His help to have success in any area of
our lives. It’s worth it, because the humble get the help!

The truth is this: As long as we try to do everything

ourselves, God will let us. He won’t take care of our
problems and worries until we choose to give them to
Him. Either we’re going to do it or God’s going to do
it—but both of us aren’t going to do it!

Now, casting your care doesn’t mean you can be

irresponsible. God won’t do for you what you can do
yourself. You must do what you can do, and then trust
God to do what you can’t do.

When we humble ourselves and ask for God’s help,

then He’s able to release His power in our situations.
It’s only then that we can really enjoy life!

27
 So, the cure for worry is to humble ourselves before
God, cast our cares on Him, and trust Him. Instead of
making ourselves miserable trying to figure everything
out on our own, God wants us to place our trust in Him
and enter into His rest, totally abandoning ourselves to
His care.

It’s absolutely wonderful when we can feel completely

comfortable not knowing the “why” behind what’s hap-
pening in our lives. We don’t always have to know what
God is going to do or when He’s going to do it. All we
really need to know is that God has a plan and He is in
control. We can rest in the truth that at the right time,
God will execute His plan.

So when life throws you a curve, and you’re tempted to

worry and get stressed-out, I encourage you to place
your trust in God and cast your cares on Him. Choose
to think and say positive, faith-filled things from God’s
Word like, The Lord is going to take care of this. It doesn’t
matter what it looks like—I believe God is working!
THE ULTIMATE STRESS RELIEVER

The truth is, God knew about your problem before you
ever got it, and He already has a plan for your solution.
In the meantime, you can choose to enjoy your life
while you wait. With His help, you can trust more and
stress less.

28
 - CHAPTER 4 -
Trusting God
Through the Storm
Over the years, I’ve learned that it’s one thing to
trust God for something—to change something or
someone in your life—but it’s another thing entirely
to trust God through something.

I take a lot of comfort from Isaiah 43:2-3. It says, When

you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and
through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When
you walk through the fire, you will not be burned or
scorched, nor will the flame kindle upon you. For I am
the Lord your God....

When you’re going through hard times, it’s so important

to remember that God is right there with you, and you
can trust Him to help you through it.

For instance, it can be difficult to stay in faith when

your circumstances don’t make sense or life just
doesn’t seem fair. It’s especially hard when you feel like
you’re doing what you should be doing and you’re not
getting a right result.

29
 Or how about this one: You see someone who is not
doing the right thing, yet they are seemingly getting a
better result than you are! There will be times in our
lives when everything feels like it is shaking and nothing
feels secure, and the only real answer is to trust God
and keep on trusting Him.

I’ve also learned from experience that God will use

these times for our benefit. When everything seems
uncertain and unstable, God wants to shake things in
our lives until only the things that cannot be shaken re-
main. He wants to use these times to work with us and
help us let go of all the unstable things so we’re only
hanging on to the rock of our salvation—Jesus Christ—
who cannot be moved or shaken!

“GROWING” THROUGH THE TOUGH TIMES

This may sound funny, but I’ve come to the point where
I believe trials and difficulties can be some of our best
friends. Why? Because the Lord uses them to teach us,
train us, and help us grow in ways we can’t on our own.
TRUSTING GOD THROUGH THE STORM

In fact, James 1:2-3 tells us to Consider it wholly

joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped
in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various
temptations. Be assured and understand that the
trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance
and steadfastness and patience.

30
Trials and suffering don’t originate from God, but He
will use them to make us stronger and help us enjoy a
more peaceful, stable, and fulfilling life.

For years, I prayed for God to make my ministry grow.

I certainly enjoyed teaching a Bible study in my home,
but the Lord had given me a big vision, and I wanted
it to come to pass immediately! I had the gift to teach,
just like I do today; however, I wasn’t mature enough
yet to handle everything I was asking for.

For our own good, the Lord won’t bless our circum-
stances beyond the level of our maturity spiritually.
Just like we wouldn’t give a ten-year-old the keys to a
new sports car, God isn’t going to prematurely give us
something that will harm us.

The difficult times in life cause us to develop into the per-

son we want to be. When we encounter a situation that’s
“over our heads,” it helps us to place our dependence on
Him, knowing we can’t solve all of our own problems.

The Lord wants us to become stable and mature...to

reach the point where we’re not blown over by every
storm in life. He wants us to have joy and contentment
in Him, even when our circumstances aren’t perfect
(see Nehemiah 8:10).

31
 Just like diamonds are formed under great pressure,
God often uses the difficulties in our lives to humble us,
develop our character, transform us into His image...and
prepare us for the good things He has for our future.

TRIALS HELP US TO TRUST

There’s tremendous freedom in trusting God. When
something’s not going our way, instead of getting upset
or offended, we can trust that He has a plan that’s
better than ours, and He will ultimately work out the
situation for good (see Romans 8:28).

We need to understand this because sometimes when

we’re having trouble, we can get offended at God or
even at other people who are being blessed. We can
have a self-righteous attitude that says, “Well, I’m a bet-
ter Christian than you are. I deserve those blessings.”

For example, maybe you want a promotion at work, but

someone else receives it instead. What should you do?
TRUSTING GOD THROUGH THE STORM

You can get offended, self-righteous and really hurt

yourself spiritually. Or you can trust God and say, “Lord,
if this is where You want me right now, then I’m going
to serve my boss with a smile on my face. And I know
if You want to put me somewhere else, You can do it in
Your perfect timing.”

32
I’ve learned that God is smarter than we are! Some-
times He puts off giving us what we want because He
has a different purpose in mind—something better than
what we could have imagined.

For instance, many times the Lord has allowed me to go

through things the hard way. Sometimes it has been ex-
tremely difficult, especially when I watched other people
receive breakthroughs in the same areas more quickly.

But when God allows me to walk this path, He wants

me to experience and understand what people are go-
ing through so I can relate to their pain and help them
walk through it successfully.

If it wasn’t for the difficult times in my life—circumstanc-

es the Lord used to help me grow and change—I cer-
tainly wouldn’t be able to help the number of people I
do today!

God never promised us a trouble-free life, but He does

promise to never leave us or forsake us (see Hebrews
13:5). In the hard times, we can take comfort knowing
that He loves us tremendously, He has His eye on us,
and He is already working behind the scenes to help us
(see Romans 8:38-39; Psalm 33:18).

33
 GOD IS WITH YOU THROUGH IT ALL
I want to encourage you to make a determined decision
to trust God with every single part of your life. When
you’re hit by life’s storms or experience things you don’t
understand, that’s when you have to choose to keep
trusting Him—no matter what you think or feel, and no
matter what your circumstances look like. And as you
trust God through it all, He will give you something
stable—He will give you more of Himself.

Are you going through something difficult today? Is

there a trial that threatens to overwhelm you? If so, I
encourage you to take a moment right now and pray.

“Lord, I thank You for always being with me—in the

good times and also when life gets difficult. Please
help me to draw closer to You when life doesn’t make
sense. I trust You, and I know that You will work every-
thing out for My good. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.”

Remember, what you’re going through now isn’t going

TRUSTING GOD THROUGH THE STORM

to last forever. When I’m going through a hard time, I

like to remind myself, “This too shall pass.” In the mean-
time, you can choose to place your trust in God and
allow Him to give you joy in the midst of what you’re
going through.

It’s also good to stay in God’s Word and encourage

yourself with scriptures like Isaiah 41:10. God says, Fear
not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not

34
look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am
your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficul-
ties, yes, I will help you....

The good news is that Jesus is with you through every

storm, and you are going to come out stronger on the
other side. He’s the One Who loves you unconditionally,
and He’s the One Who can turn your difficult times into
something great.

Whatever you may be going through right now, I en-

courage you to hang in there and not give up. Make a
decision to keep a good attitude and continue to place
your trust in God. Because He’s the One who can take
your mess...and turn it into a miracle.

35
 - CHAPTER 5 -
Get to
Know Him
There was a time in my life when I struggled with all
types of fears and insecurities, constantly worried
about the future, my job, my ministry, and my family.

However, over time, the Lord helped me to change…

and He helped me understand an important key to
trusting Him and truly enjoying my life. It all begins with
what the apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:10…some-
thing I believe we should all pray regularly…

[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him

[that I may progressively become more deeply and in-
timately acquainted with Him…understanding the won-
ders of His Person more strongly and more clearly]….

You see, when we get to know God—really know Him—it

fills us with hope and confidence because we realize
He’s greater than any situation we will ever encounter.

36
Understanding God’s character and incredible love
for us allows us to relax and trust Him in every area of
our lives.

In fact, I’ve found that we can learn so much about the

Lord by examining His many names found in the Bible.
Each one reveals a unique aspect of His character
along with a very specific promise for our lives.

The Bible says He is Jehovah Jireh, which means “Your

Provider.” He’s Jehovah Rapha, “Your Healer,” and
Jehovah Shalom, “Your Peace.”

The Lord is also referred to as Jehovah Nissi, “The

Lord Our Banner.” This means He is our “victory”: We
can expect God to help us win our battles over sin,
addictive habits, pain from the past, and anything else
that stands in the way of His great plan for our lives.

Satan wants us to think about all the things we can’t do.

He wants us to compare ourselves to others and focus
on our weaknesses. However, when the Lord looks at
us, He sees our potential! He wants us to focus on how
much we can do. God wants us to trust in His strength
and ability to do the great things He has planned for us.

TAKE A LESSON FROM GIDEON

The story of Gideon in the book of Judges is such a
great example. At this point in history, the Israelites
were being oppressed by the Midianites, who were

37
 destroying their land and stealing their cattle. The
Israelites had lost their freedom and were crying out to
God for protection against their enemies.

One day, as Gideon was working in his father’s wine-

press and trying to hide from the enemy, the Lord
appeared to him and said:

The Lord is with you, you mighty man of [fearless]

courage...Go in this your might and you shall save Israel
from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?

Gideon said to Him, Oh Lord, how can I deliver Israel?

Behold, my clan is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am
the least in my father’s house.

The Lord said to him, Surely I will be with you, and you
shall smite the Midianites… (Judges 6:12,14-16).

In Gideon’s mind, he was the last person qualified to

lead Israel’s army to a victory. However, after more
encouragement from the Lord, Gideon finally agreed.

As Israel’s army of 32,000 men were preparing to go into

battle, the Lord had Gideon send all but 300 of them
home. God wanted them to totally depend on Him.
GET TO KNOW HIM

The Lord was about to teach Gideon (and us) an

amazing lesson: No matter what we have or don’t have,

38
God can make up the difference when we place our
trust in Him.

That day, Gideon and his 300 soldiers overcame the en-
tire Midianite army—a force of more than 135,000 men!

GOD NEVER LOSES A BATTLE

I think most of us in some way can relate to Gideon.
Have you ever felt like a “nobody” facing insurmount-
able odds? Have you looked at a certain issue in your
life and thought: There’s no way I’ll ever get over this.

Well, you’re not alone! And the good news is you don’t
have to face your struggles all by yourself. You have Al-
mighty God in your corner—and He never loses a battle.

Like Gideon, God wants us to reach a place where we

are looking to Him for our help. When we’re “over our
heads,” the Lord wants us to get to the place where we
think, Well, it’s too big for me, but it’s not too big for God!

Now, I’m a thinker, and I like to figure things out. I actu-

ally believe this makes it more difficult to trust God be-
cause I can easily limit Him by what I think is possible.

I remember back in the 1980s when I was still holding

small conferences in my hometown of St. Louis, Mis-
souri. Each week, we relied on a certain number of
attendees to help cover the costs of the building and
other expenses.

39
 Well, one particular week, we had a snowstorm and
attendance was down. Even while I was teaching, I
was worrying about the bills, wondering how it would
all work out. Then the Lord spoke to my heart and
said, “Joyce, it doesn’t matter how many people are
here. Whether attendance is high or low, I can save you
either way.”

That day someone gave an unusually large donation,

more than covering what we lacked due to low atten-
dance. Like Gideon, I learned the lesson that God can
save us whether we have “many” or “a few.”

Maybe you’re like Gideon. Maybe the Lord is asking

you to step out in an area that seems impossible, or
you’re facing an issue that seems way too big to handle.

Whatever it may be, I want you to know that you’re in a

great place for a miracle. The God of all the universe—
Jehovah Nissi, “The Lord Our Banner”—is on your side,
and remember, He never loses a battle!

I encourage you to get to know God more and more.

Read and study His Word. Talk to the Lord like He’s
your best friend and ask Him to reveal His love and
character to you in a greater way.
GET TO KNOW HIM

Because when you get to know God—really know Him—

you will begin to trust Him like never before. And it will
release new hope and confidence in the One Who can
change every single area of your life.
40
 - SALVATION -

You Can
Trust Him
with Your
Life

41
 The greatest thing you can ever trust God for is eter-
nal life and your relationship with Him. Turning your
life over to Jesus is the foundational element on which
you can build everything else. The moment you realize
your deep need for God, you begin an amazing journey
into His plan for your life.

Romans 3:23 (NIV) says it this way: For all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God.

Knowing Jesus is simply acknowledging your need for

Him, believing what He did for you and accepting His
amazing gift. It recognizes that you can’t live this life
on your own—that you’ve sinned and are in need of a
Savior. And the good news about knowing Jesus, about
being saved, is the beautiful exchange that happens in
that moment.

You give Him all the bad and sinful things you’ve done,
and in return, God gives you everything He has for you.
Whether you know it or not yet, His plan for your life is
amazing, and this is the first step on that journey.

IF YOU’RE READY
to start your own, personal journey with Jesus or
perhaps want to get to know Him in a deeper way, visit:

joycemeyer.org/salvation

42
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joyce Meyer is one of the world's leading practical
Bible teachers. A New York Times bestselling author,
Joyce’s books have helped millions of people find
hope and restoration through Jesus Christ. Through
Joyce Meyer Ministries, Joyce teaches on a number
of topics with a particular focus on how the Word
of God applies to our everyday lives. Her candid
communication style allows her to share openly and
practically about her experiences so others can
apply what she has learned to their lives.
 JOYCE MEYER MINISTRIES
Sharing Christ-Loving People
Joyce Meyer Ministries is called to share the Gospel
and extend the love of Christ. Through media we
teach people how to apply biblical truth to every
aspect of their lives and encourage God’s people to
serve the world around them.

Through our missions arm, Hand of Hope, we provide

global humanitarian aid, feed the hungry, clothe the
poor, minister to the elderly, widows and orphans,
visit prisoners and reach out to people of all ages
and in all walks of life.

Joyce Meyer Ministries is built on a foundation of

faith, integrity and dedicated supporters who share
this call.

To view additional resources from Joyce Meyer Minis-

tries, to watch our most current Enjoying Everyday Life
show, or to receive information about our missions out-
reach Hand of Hope, please visit joycemeyer.org
 You Can Trust Him
with Your Life
You can place your trust in a lot of things: money, material posses-
sions, your job, your friends…yourself. However, there’s only One
Person you can completely trust with every single part of your life—
God. When life gets difficult or doesn’t make sense, you can trust
Him to work things out His way and in His perfect timing.

In this book, Joyce teaches how to:

• Build your trust in God’s unconditional love and faithfulness

• Enjoy each day of your life, regardless of your circumstances
• Trust God to be your Vindicator when life doesn’t seem fair
• “Cast your cares” and enjoy His supernatural peace and stability

We don’t have to know all of the answers—we just have to know

“the One Who knows.” So, when life throws you a curve or leaves
you asking why, don’t give up, and don’t take matters into your own
hands! It’s time to place your trust in God, choose to be a blessing
to someone else…then leave the rest up to the One Who will never
let you down (see Hebrews 13:5).

ISBN 978-1-942854-70-8
90000>

joycemeyer.org /joycemeyerministries
(800) 727-9673 @joycemeyer
9 781942 854708
© 2018 Joyce Meyer Ministries BKL248/012495