Trust in God: Why Total Faith Ensures You’re Never Abandoned

A father once traveled with his son by bus to Be'er Sheva. On the way, the boy asked:

“Dad, does the driver really know where Be’er Sheva is?”
“Yes,” the father replied.
“Are you sure he knows the way?”
“Yes.”
“Will he bring us exactly to the station we need?”
“Yes.”
The boy was puzzled. “How can you be so sure?”
The father smiled and said, “Because it’s his job. He’s the driver.”

God is the driver of the world. We can therefore trust that He knows the route, because He knows exactly which path each of us must take for the growth and correction of our soul.

If we can trust a pharmacist not to give us poison instead of medicine, then of course we can trust God. We place our health, and the health of our children, in the hands of doctors, even though mistakes happen, because we know they are trained professionals who understand far more than we do. We pay them large sums and hand over what’s most precious to us — our well-being, because despite human errors, we trust that they know what they’re doing.

How is it possible that we would not trust the Creator? When a child runs toward his father, he throws himself into his arms, fully confident the father will open his hands and catch him. The child doesn’t even consider the possibility that the father might let him fall. That complete confidence and unshakable trust, is exactly what ensures the father won’t let go.

If we can relate to God the way “a weaned child rests securely in his mother’s arms,” with absolute certainty that no matter what happens, our Father in Heaven will hold us and not let us fall, then God will indeed never let us fall.

When the angels came to Lot’s home in Sodom, the townspeople demanded he hand them over so they could kill them, as was their custom with uninvited guests. Lot refused and said: “Please, do not harm these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof” (Genesis 19:8).

The Chofetz Chaim asks: Why would the fact that they are in Lot’s house be a reason not to give them up? Wasn’t that the very reason the mob wanted to harm them?

Lot’s answer was simple: They came to me, they are my guests, they trust me — and if they trust me, I cannot abandon them.

The Chofetz Chaim explains that even the people of Sodom understood that if someone has placed their trust in you, you cannot betray that trust. How much more so when we place our full trust in God, He will not abandon us.

We are taught that the more we rely on God, the more He cares for us directly. If a person thinks, “I can manage on my own,” God, so to speak, steps back and allows them to try. However, the one who places their full dependence on God is watched over more closely.

Rabbeinu Bachya explains that when the Israelites neared the Land of Israel, they saw that other nations had food stored up in advance and they didn’t need to worry about their next meal. Israel, on the other hand, relied on manna from Heaven each day. Some complained to Moses: “Why should we be dependent on daily manna? We want to be like the nations who manage on their own.”

When God saw that they no longer wished to depend on Him, He withdrew some of His protection, and snakes came and bit them. These weren’t new snakes but had always been in the desert; God had simply been protecting the people from them. Once they no longer wanted His protection, He allowed nature to take its course.

How were they saved? God told Moses to place a copper snake on a high pole and whoever looked at it would also look upward toward Heaven, remember God, renew their trust in Him, and be healed. When a person remembers that everything comes from God and truly trusts Him, God will not let them fall.

The Shem MiShmuel explains that the Jewish people follow a lunar calendar, while the nations follow the solar calendar. The moon receives its light from the sun, but it might mistakenly think it shines by its own power. At certain points in its cycle, the sunlight doesn’t fully reach it, and it appears small and dim. That’s when it “realizes” it has no light without the sun.

We count by the moon to internalize that when the receiver distances itself from the source of blessing, it becomes dim, empty, and powerless. Only by staying connected to the Divine source, does it shine brightly.

If a person thinks they can manage without God, they may find themselves without His flow of blessing. One who fully trusts and depends on Him, will never be abandoned.