How Can You Trust Someone You Don’t Know?
Have you ever been told, “Just trust God!” and felt the weight of not knowing how? Trusting God is at the core of our faith, yet how can we truly trust Him if we don’t really know Him—not just know about Him, but know Him relationally?
There’s a big difference between gathering information about God and encountering Him in a way that transforms our hearts. Trusting God starts with knowing Him personally.
Knowing God vs. Knowing About God
The Bible invites us into a relationship with God, not just a head knowledge about Him. Jesus prayed:
“This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3).
This knowing isn’t just intellectual—it’s personal, intimate, and relational. It’s about connection, not mere comprehension.
Doctrine and theology are vital, but they’re like a map—they guide us to the destination, but they aren’t the destination itself. You can memorize every detail of a map, but until you step onto the path it describes, you don’t truly know the terrain.
Similarly, knowing about God—His attributes, His promises—is meant to lead us to a deeper relationship with Him. That’s where trust takes root.
How Do We Get to Know God?
1. Search the Scriptures to See His Character
The Bible is God’s self-revelation. It tells us who He is, what He’s done, and how He relates to His people. But to truly know Him through His Word, we need the Holy Spirit to open our eyes. Jesus promised:
“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13).
When you read Scripture, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s heart—His love, mercy, faithfulness, and justice. As you see His character, trust will grow naturally.
I’ll never forget an assignment I had in seminary: reading A.W. Tozer’s The Knowledge of the Holy. Before diving into that book, I unknowingly held a concept of God that was manageable—a God I could fit into a box. It was a good-sized box, informed by Scripture and doctrine, but it was still a box.
Tozer’s scriptural exploration of God’s attributes utterly dismantled that framework. At one point, I had to put the book down and pray. Through tears, I confessed that I had been trying to contain the infinite God in my limited understanding. Like Job, I felt compelled to say:
“My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you” (Job 42:5).
God lovingly shattered the walls of my understanding. He revealed Himself as infinite, self-existent, and unchanging. I saw His omniscience, faithfulness, grace, and love in a new light—boundless and uncontainable. After that, trusting Him wasn’t something I had to work at. It flowed naturally from seeing Him as He truly is.
2. Fellowship with Him Moment by Moment
Trust grows through relationship, and relationship is cultivated in daily fellowship. Paul encourages us:
“Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
This doesn’t mean we need to be on our knees 24/7. It means living moment by moment in awareness of our union with Christ and inviting Him to live His life in us and through us. When something worries you, bring it to Him, trusting that His peace is already yours. When gratitude fills your heart, express it as an overflow of His joy within you. When uncertainty arises, rely on His wisdom, which is always available through His Spirit. And when temptation comes, don’t engage with it in your own strength or as Adam and Eve did in the garden. Instead, turn to Him, inviting Him to take over and live His victory through you. In every moment, let Christ be the one who responds, trusting His sufficiency to lead you.
As you build this moment-by-moment relationship, you’ll come to know Him as a faithful companion who walks with you and in you through every circumstance. Trust becomes the natural response to His presence.
3. Journal Your Walk with Him
Journaling has been a powerful tool in my own journey. Writing down my thoughts, prayers, and experiences helps me process what God is teaching me.
It also creates a record of His faithfulness. Looking back through old entries, I can see His hand at work in ways I didn’t recognize at the time. David’s psalms are a beautiful example of this—his honest reflections on struggles and victories show us how journaling can deepen our relationship with God.
Trust Grows Through Relationship
Trust isn’t something we can force. It’s the natural result of knowing God. When we see His character in Scripture, experience His presence in our daily lives, and reflect on His faithfulness, trust begins to take root and grow.
Through the lens of the exchanged life, trust isn’t about us trying harder—it’s about letting Christ live His perfect trust through us. As Paul writes:
“The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
An Invitation to Seek Him
If trusting God feels hard, don’t focus on trying to trust more. Instead, focus on getting to know Him better. Open His Word and ask Him to reveal His heart to you—He will, because it’s both His promise and your birthright in Christ. Walk with Him daily, and let the Holy Spirit reveal His infinite character.
James 4:8 promises:
“Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
Trust will follow—not as a task to achieve but as the fruit of a growing relationship with the One who loves you.
A Prayer for Knowing and Trusting God
Lord, I want to know You—not just about You, but truly know You. Reveal Your character to me through Your Word, and teach me to walk with You daily. Break apart any walls I’ve placed around my understanding of You. Lead me into a deeper relationship with You, and let trust flow naturally as I see Your faithfulness. Thank You for Your love and grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.