How to Trust in Jesus

Art by @jesslee.design

How do you trust in Jesus?

This was a question asked by a young student in AWANA, and I was caught off guard. I gave my typical ABCs of the gospel — admit you are a sinner, believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross for your sins, and confess Him as the resurrected King over your life. I said that trusting in Jesus is something that happens in our hearts, and it’s God who makes it happen. But I wasn’t totally satisfied with my answer — and looking back, I don’t think she was either.

I gave it some thought, and here’s what I think I should have said.

I could have opened with: Well, who do you trust? Maybe your parents — your mom and dad. What does that look like? When I trust them, it means I believe they’ll do what they say. I believe they love me. I believe they’ll take care of me. I believe that we’re family.

So, to trust in Jesus means you believe what He says — one of those things being that we’re sinners. You believe He is who He says He is: the Son of God who died on the cross for your sins. And you believe what He did, and what He tells you to do — to confess Him as the resurrected King over your life.

To trust is to actively put your faith — your belief — in who someone says they are, what they say they’ll do, and what that means for you.

I trust that God will use whatever sliver of gospel hope I had in my answer and use it for His glory, as He always does. Even inadequate answers can receive amazing grace. I won’t be caught off guard next time — and I’m glad to have learned a better answer to this question myself.