Trusting God When Life Doesn’t Make Sense

When the Future Feels Unclear

I still remember the exact moment my world shattered. The moment I realized my mother—my confidante, my closest friend—would not be there to see my future unfold. No more phone calls, no more shared laughter, no more dreams of her standing by my side on my wedding day.

I prayed. I pleaded. And yet, she was gone.

What do you do when your faith collides with heartbreak? When the prayers you whisper into the silence seem unanswered? When trusting God feels more like free-falling than standing on solid ground?

I didn’t lose my faith when my mom passed away, but I wrestled with it. Why would God allow this? Why didn’t He heal her? How was I supposed to move forward? I couldn’t see the bigger picture, and in that darkness, all I could do was hold onto the little fragments of faith I had left.

If you’ve ever been in a place where trusting God felt impossible—whether due to loss, disappointment, or uncertainty—this post is for you. Let’s talk about what it really means to trust God when we can’t see the full picture.

1. When We Can’t See Ahead, God Sees It All

One of the hardest parts of faith is that we don’t get to see the whole story while we’re living it. When we’re in the middle of suffering, it feels impossible to believe that anything good could come from it. But looking back, I realize that even in my darkest moments, God’s presence never left me.

I saw Him in the friends who showed up, in the unexpected provision when I needed it most, and in the small moments of grace that reminded me I wasn’t completely alone. But at the time, my grief was too heavy to recognize it fully. I was simply trying to survive.

Abraham and Sarah knew this feeling well.

When God told Abraham he would become the father of many nations, it didn’t make sense. He was old, his wife was past childbearing age, and from a human perspective, it seemed impossible. Sarah even laughed at the idea (Genesis 18:12). But just because they couldn’t see the promise unfolding didn’t mean God wasn’t working.

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” – Corrie ten Boom

Sometimes, our limited vision keeps us from trusting that God is still moving. But just as He fulfilled His promise to Abraham and Sarah, He is still working behind the scenes in our lives—even when we don’t understand how.

2. Faith Doesn’t Erase Pain—It Sustains Us Through It

There’s a misconception that having faith means we won’t struggle with grief, disappointment, or doubt. But that’s not true. Faith doesn’t take away the pain, but it gives us something to hold onto when everything feels like it’s falling apart.

When my mom passed, I wasn’t just grieving her loss—I was grieving the future I had imagined with her. I wanted her to be there for life’s big moments. I wanted to hear her voice on the other end of the phone. And knowing that those things would never happen made trusting God feel even harder.

“The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not ‘get over’ the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it.” – Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

I was angry at God, but I also knew He was my only source of strength. It was a strange paradox—to be heartbroken yet still dependent on Him, to feel abandoned yet still held by Him. And as time passed, I realized something: God wasn’t asking me to pretend I was okay. He was asking me to bring my pain to Him, to trust Him with it, even when it didn’t make sense.

Psalm 34:18: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Even as I held onto faith, I still wrestled with the unknown. I wanted answers—why did this happen? How was I supposed to move forward? But what I realized is that faith isn’t about having all the answers. Sometimes, it’s about surrendering to the One who does.

3. We May Never See the Whole Picture, and That’s Okay

Even now, I don’t fully understand why God allowed my mom’s passing. There are still moments when I miss her so much it physically hurts. But I also know that my story isn’t over.

Isaiah 55:8-9 reminds us:

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

We won’t always get the answers we want. Sometimes, we just have to walk forward with faith, trusting that God sees what we cannot. And even when we don’t understand, we can trust His character. We can trust that He is still good, still working, still present.

“Sometimes when things are falling apart, they may actually be falling into place.” – Unknown

Soul Insights

Trusting God When We Can’t See the Full Picture

1️⃣ God doesn’t always remove the pain, but He walks through it with us.

At the time, I didn’t recognize it, but looking back, I see how God showed up in every hug, every friend who checked in, and even in the moments when I had the strength to get out of bed when I thought I couldn’t.

2️⃣ Even when life doesn’t make sense, God’s presence is steady.

I expected God to take away the pain, but instead, He sent people to carry me through it. His presence wasn’t in the outcome I wanted, but in the daily grace I needed to survive.

3️⃣ Faith doesn’t mean avoiding grief—it means holding onto God through it.

I learned that it’s okay to feel broken and still trust God at the same time. Faith isn’t about dismissing pain—it’s about finding God in the middle of it.

4️⃣ God’s ways are higher than ours, and we may never fully understand.

I don’t see the full picture, but I know I can trust the One who does. If Abraham and Sarah had to trust without seeing, so do we.

5️⃣ Even when we can’t see what’s ahead, God is still in control.

God didn’t change my circumstances the way I wanted Him to, but He never stopped holding me through it.

Final Thoughts: Choosing to Trust, Even in the Unknown

The question isn’t whether life will make sense—it often won’t. The question is: Will we dare to trust God anyway? Will we hold onto faith, even when we can’t see the whole story?

Because in the end, trust isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about knowing the One who does.

If you’re struggling to trust God because you can’t see where things are headed, I want you to know you’re not alone.

God never promised that faith would be easy, but He did promise that He would never leave us. Even when life doesn’t make sense, He is still guiding us forward.

Whatever season you’re in, hold onto faith. Even when you can’t see the whole picture, God is still writing a greater story.

I still miss my mom. There are still days when the grief resurfaces. But now, I trust that even though I don’t see the whole picture, God does. And that’s enough.

Your Turn: Let’s Talk

Have you ever struggled to trust God when you couldn’t see the full picture? How did you navigate that season? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Let’s encourage one another in this journey of faith.

Soul Path Insights