How to Trust God When You Don't Understand What He's Doing

Sometimes God doesn't give us the explanation we're looking for. Instead, He reminds us that we are not walking alone.

Have you ever prayed about something, expecting God to lead you in one direction, only to find yourself facing something entirely different?

You prayed for clarity.

But the path became more confusing.

You asked God to open a door.

But the door remained closed.

You expected an answer.

But instead, you found yourself with more questions.

I've experienced moments like that in my own journey.

Times when I prayed, expecting a particular answer, only to discover that what was happening around me looked nothing like what I had asked God to do.

The path wasn't clear.

The explanation didn't come.

And yet, in those moments, I discovered something that has helped me through many difficult seasons.

There is a peace that comes from being in God's presence, even when I don't understand what He is doing.

When Understanding Becomes a Condition for Trust

Proverbs 3:5–6 tells us to trust in the Lord with all our hearts and not lean on our own understanding.

That's a familiar passage.

We quote it. We memorize it. We encourage others with it.

But living it can be another matter.

Because we naturally want to understand.

We want to know where we're going, why something happened, how long the waiting will last, and what God intends to do next.

And sometimes, without realizing it, we begin making understanding a condition for trust.

"God, show me how this will work, and then I'll move forward."

"Explain why this happened, and then I'll have peace."

"Let me see the outcome, and then I'll trust You."

But if we must understand everything before we trust God, are we really trusting Him—or our ability to understand what He is doing?

Trust does not mean we stop thinking, asking questions, or seeking wisdom.

It means we recognize that our understanding has limitations.

We may not know the way, but we can know the One who leads us.

Moses Didn't Know How, but He Knew Who

When God called Moses to deliver the children of Israel from Egypt, Moses had questions.

Many questions.

Who am I to go before Pharaoh?

What should I tell the Israelites?

What if they don't believe me?

What if they refuse to listen?

Moses could see the enormity of the assignment.

He knew Pharaoh was powerful. He knew the Israelites had been enslaved for generations. He knew his own limitations.

What he didn't know was how everything would unfold.

And I find God's response fascinating.

Before Moses received all the details of the journey, God assured him:

"I will be with you." — Exodus 3:12

Then, when Moses asked what name he should give the Israelites, God revealed Himself as:

"I AM WHO I AM." — Exodus 3:14

God was revealing who He is—the eternal, self-existent, faithful God who would be with His people.

Moses did not need to understand every obstacle he would encounter before taking the first step.

He needed to know who had sent him.

Sometimes we're asking God for an explanation when He is calling us to trust His character.

When God's Presence Becomes More Important Than the Destination

Later in Israel's journey, something significant happened.

After the people sinned by worshiping the golden calf, their relationship with God was seriously disrupted.

Moses interceded for them.

And during that conversation, Moses made a declaration that continues to speak to me:

"If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here." — Exodus 33:15, NKJV

Think about that.

Moses had been called to lead the people toward the Promised Land.

The destination mattered. The promise mattered.

But Moses understood that reaching the destination without God's presence was not what he wanted.

He was essentially saying:

"Lord, I don't want to go without You."

How often do we become so focused on where we want God to take us that we overlook the importance of walking with Him?

We want the answer.

The breakthrough.

The opportunity.

The restoration.

The promise fulfilled.

And those desires are not necessarily wrong.

But what happens when the destination becomes more important to us than the One who is leading us?

God's presence is not a small consolation while we wait for something better. His presence is itself a gift.

In His Presence There Is Fullness of Joy

David understood something about God's presence too.

Psalm 16:11 speaks of fullness of joy in God's presence.

I sometimes think about David as a young shepherd.

The lonely nights.

The responsibility of watching over the sheep.

The danger of predators.

The lion and the bear that he later told Saul he had encountered.

Scripture doesn't tell us everything David thought or prayed during those quiet nights.

But we know that David became a man who understood what it meant to seek God, worship Him, and depend on Him.

And I can imagine those moments of stillness, away from the noise, when there was nothing around him but the sheep, the open sky, and the awareness of God.

There is something about being in God's presence that circumstances cannot always explain.

The situation may not change immediately.

The answer may not come.

The difficulty may still be there when we finish praying.

But something can happen within us.

Our hearts become settled.

Our perspective begins to change.

The fear that seemed so overwhelming may begin to loosen its hold.

Not because we suddenly know everything.

But because we are reminded that we are not alone.

Sometimes peace comes before understanding.

And when that peace is difficult to feel, God's faithfulness remains unchanged.

They Had Not Been This Way Before

When the Israelites were preparing to cross the Jordan River, Joshua gave them instructions about following the ark of the covenant.

The ark represented God's covenant presence among His people.

And Joshua explained why they needed to follow.

They had not traveled that way before (Joshua 3:4).

I love that detail.

They had not been that way before.

Isn't that how some seasons of life feel?

You have never faced this particular situation.

Never carried this responsibility.

Never walked through this kind of loss.

Never had to make this decision.

Never experienced this level of uncertainty.

You don't know the terrain.

You don't know what lies ahead.

And you're trying to figure out a path you've never traveled.

But the Israelites were not being asked to invent their own route.

They were being instructed to follow God's leading.

Sometimes we become distressed because we don't know the way.

But perhaps the more important question is whether we're paying attention to the One who does.

The Pillar of Cloud and Fire

During Israel's journey from Egypt, God led them by a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night (Exodus 13:21–22).

Imagine traveling through the wilderness without a map showing every turn.

Without knowing exactly what tomorrow would bring.

Without knowing every obstacle you would face.

Yet God was leading.

The Israelites still encountered difficulties.

They still faced hunger, thirst, opposition, and moments of fear.

God's presence did not mean the journey would be free from challenges.

But they were not left to navigate the wilderness alone.

God's presence is not a promise that we will never face difficulty. It is an assurance that difficulty does not place us beyond His care.

We may not have a visible pillar of cloud or fire today.

But through Christ, we have the assurance of God's abiding presence, and the Holy Spirit helps us as we walk in obedience to Him.

He Doesn't Only Show Us the Way. He Is the Way.

Jesus said in John 14:6:

"I am the way, the truth, and the life."

Those words speak first of our access to the Father through Christ.

But they also remind me of something important about the Christian journey.

Our faith is not simply about receiving directions from God.

It is about living in relationship with Him.

We can become so consumed with asking:

"Lord, which way should I go?"

That we forget to ask:

"Lord, am I walking closely with You?"

Of course, we should seek wisdom.

We should pray about decisions, examine Scripture, listen to godly counsel, and act responsibly with the information available to us.

Trusting God does not mean abandoning wisdom or waiting indefinitely for a supernatural sign.

But neither should we allow the absence of complete certainty to keep us from faithfully doing what we already know is right.

Five Ways to Trust God When You Don't Understand

1. Return to God's Character

When you cannot understand what God is doing, remember what Scripture has already revealed about who He is.

He is faithful, merciful, wise, and good.

2. Seek His Presence, Not Only His Answers

Make room for prayer, worship, Scripture, and quiet reflection.

Not as a formula to make God speak, but as a way of drawing near to Him.

3. Take the Next Faithful Step

You may not know what will happen six months from now.

But perhaps there is something you already know you need to do today.

If uncertainty has been keeping you from moving forward, read When You Want Certainty More Than Faith.

4. Don't Mistake Confusion for Abandonment

Not understanding the journey does not mean God has stopped caring for you.

As we explored last week, waiting and rejection are not the same thing.

5. Remember That Peace and Difficulty Can Coexist

God's peace does not always remove the problem.

Sometimes it sustains us while we walk through it.

I Wanted an Explanation. God Gave Me His Presence.

I return to this thought because it is personal to me.

There have been times when I wanted God to explain what He was doing.

I wanted to understand why the path seemed different from what I had prayed for.

I wanted to know what came next.

And although I didn't always receive the explanation I wanted, I found peace in His presence.

Not because everything suddenly made sense.

But because I was reminded of who was with me.

Perhaps that is where you are today.

You have questions.

You need direction.

You want to know why things have unfolded as they have.

I cannot promise that every question will be answered in this season.

But I can encourage you to keep drawing near to God.

Bring Him your questions.

Seek His wisdom.

Remain open to His guidance.

And don't overlook the gift of His presence while waiting for an explanation.

You may not know the way ahead. But you do not have to walk it alone.

Now ask yourself:

• Is there an area of my life where I am struggling to trust God because I don't understand what He is doing?
• Have I been making an explanation a condition for trusting Him?
• Am I seeking God's presence, or have I become focused only on receiving an answer?
• What has Scripture already revealed about God's character that I need to remember?
• What is one faithful step I can take even without knowing the entire outcome?
• What would change if I became more concerned about walking with God than controlling where the journey leads?

Prayer

Father,

There are times when I don't understand what You are doing.

I pray for one thing, but my circumstances seem to move in another direction.

I ask for clarity, yet the path remains uncertain.

You know how much I want answers.

You know how uncomfortable it can be to move forward without understanding everything.

But today I ask You to teach me to trust You more deeply.

Help me not to lean only on my own understanding.

Remind me that Your wisdom is greater than mine.

When I become anxious about the future, draw my heart back to Your presence.

Give me discernment to recognize Your guidance.

Give me courage to take the steps I need to take.

And give me peace when the answers have not yet come.

Like Moses, help me desire Your presence more than any destination.

And when I find myself on a road I have never traveled before, remind me that I am not walking alone.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

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Continue the Journey

This is Week 3 of our October series, When God Feels Silent.

In Week 1, we explored what to do when we've prayed repeatedly and God seems silent.

In Week 2, we looked at how that silence can touch old wounds and begin to feel like rejection.

This week, we're learning that trust doesn't always require an explanation. Sometimes it requires the willingness to keep walking with God when the way isn't clear.

Read the Earlier Articles

• What to Do When God Feels Silent
• When God's Silence Feels Like Rejection

October's Free Resource

When God Feels Silent: A 7-Day Scripture & Reflection Guide for the Waiting Season {Coming Soon}

A companion for the days when you're waiting, questioning, and learning to trust God without having all the answers.

Explore Scripture, reflection questions, and guided prayers through the Made On Purpose Life Healing Resource Library.

Coming Next Week

When God's Silence Makes You Question What You Believe

What happens when waiting continues so long that you begin doubting what you once believed about God?

Next week, we'll explore how to respond when difficult circumstances begin challenging the foundations of our faith.