Teaching to Trust God
Bible Verse
With all your heart you must trust the Lord and not your own judgment. Always let him lead you, and he will clear the road for you to follow. (CEV) Proverbs 3:5-6
Trusting God can be difficult at times. In Matthew 14:22-33, Peter had so much trust in Jesus that he was able to walk on water—until he took his eyes off Jesus, and Jesus was right in front of him! So how do we teach our kids that they can trust God? How do we teach our kids that to trust God means to live into our faith in him and nothing else? We have to trust God as we teach our kids to trust him. Like Peter, we have to keep our eyes focused on Jesus, who we know and love—and we do so with help from his Word and prayer.
Start by looking up scripture on “trust”
Exodus 14 - God parts the Red Sea
Psalm 56:3 - David trusts God even when he’s afraid
Jeremiah 29:11 - Trusting God’s promise for a good future
Use the keyword “trust” to search for more.
Next, talk about who God is
Is God big or is God small?
Is God love or is God the opposite of love? Why is that important for us to understand God’s nature?
Does God want the best for us or does he want us to fall flat on our face with failure?
Ask your kids who they think God is and be ready to engage in a joyful conversation of hope!
Pray together for clarity and then listen
Prayer is essential in our faith. Take time to pray with your kids as you ask for God’s wisdom and guidance. Also, encourage your child to spend time in prayer with God as they ask for clarity and wisdom. Here’s a prayer you can use with them as a model to encourage their walk with God:
Heavenly Father, you know us better than we know ourselves. You know everything we could ever want or need. Lord, right now you know what we are struggling with. Holy Spirit, give us clarity and wisdom as you move us towards your will. Help us to trust in all that you are doing. Thank you for listening, hearing, leading, and guiding us each and every day. Amen.
Learning to trust God takes a lifetime. Help your children to understand that even though they may feel scared or nervous about what God is doing, we can trust in God and his good plan for our lives.
Want to do a deep dive? Check out Family Fire's article Teaching Children to Pray Expectantly.
Kelly VanderWoude
Kelly is the husband of Michelle and father of Lukkas and Taylor. He
enjoys making sawdust (and the occasional wood-product), smoking and
curing meats, and spending time with his family. He is the pastor of
Immanuel CRC in Fort Collins, CO and is the author of "The Honesty of
the Psalms: Wrestling with the Word of God in a broken world.
