On Trust in God

Of all the virtues, the most necessary to man is trust in God, because without it he can do nothing, and with it he can do everything. This virtue is the just medium between two extremes which are equally to be avoided, and into which, nevertheless, fall the greater part of men. Some fall into presumption, and the others into cowardice. The first form to themselves a false idea of the goodness of God, and abuse it either by offending Him or by relaxing their pursuit of perfection. "God," they say, "will never condemn me for such a little thing; He will give me time to do penance; He is not so exacting, He does not look into everything so closely." The second class have a too lively fear of the justice of God, and of the severity of His judgments; they scarcely ever think of His mercy. This fear freezes them, destroys their courage, and often throws them into despair. Self-love and erroneous ideas are the source of these two extremes. We must keep the right middle course, which consists in so putting all our trust in God that we can never presume on His goodness, and also at the same time that we can never despair. It is only the souls that are truly devoted to God who know how to keep this just medium, all others deviate from it more or less. Men fall more easily into presumption, women into fear and mistrust.

Trust in God is founded, on the one hand, on a right knowledge of God, and on the other hand, on a right knowledge of ourselves. The knowledge of God teaches us that He is infinitely good in Himself; that He loves the creatures He has made; that He cannot help loving them and wishing well to them; and that their loss, if they are lost, can never be His doing. Religion teaches us that He loves us incomparably more than it is possible to imagine or conceive; He loves us to such a degree that He gave up His own Son, and delivered Him to death for us; He presents us with His grace; He is always ready to receive the sinner who returns to Him; He will pardon the sinner and forget all his faults, provided only that he sincerely repents; and He never ceases to follow the sinner, in all his wanderings, in order to bring him back to Himself. If we will only enter a little into ourselves, and reflect on the course of our life, experience will teach us that in all God has behaved towards us with a mercy that is infinite; that He has preserved some of us from sin, and has withdrawn us from the occasions of it; that He has for a long time borne with the constant falls of others of us; that He could have damned us after our first mortal sin, and that He did not do so; that He has contrived all kinds of assistance to help us to return to Him; and that it is to Him alone that we owe our escape from the power of sin or our perseverance in doing good. Let us bring back to our memory all the personal graces we have received from Him, and besides those we know of, let us be quite sure that there are many many others which we are either ignorant of or have forgotten. How many motives may we draw from all this to place all our trust in God!

And the motives drawn from the knowledge of ourselves are not less important. I can do nothing, absolutely nothing, of myself, in the spiritual life. Not only am I weak, but my strength is nothing at all. I can make a bad use of my free-will, I can ruin myself for ever, if I choose, but my free-will without God's grace cannot save me; I cannot save myself. I need the help of an ever-present grace, and this help is only granted to an earnest prayer that is inspired by a perfect trust in God. If I fall it is impossible for me to rise again unless God stretches out His hand to me; and He will stretch it out to me as soon as I call upon Him. I can never rely on my own promises, or my good impulses, or my good resolutions; experience has proved this to me a thousand times. As to the dangers and temptations which surround the path of virtue, it would be the greatest blindness and folly on my part to think I could protect myself against them by my own strength.

In short, the whole work of my salvation, from the beginning to the end, depends upon God alone. He has in His hands the infallible means of bringing it to pass; and in spite of all my weakness, and my misery, and my inclination to evil, He will most assuredly bring about my salvation if I never lose my confidence in Him, if I expect everything from His mercy, if I keep myself always united to Him. It is therefore quite true that the more humility we have that is to say, the better we know ourselves the more trust we have in God. Now, a trust that is based upon humility can never be presumptuous. And, on the other hand, a trust that has for its basis the infinite goodness of God, His great love for His creatures, and His great power, such a trust can never be timid and cowardly. For what can he fear who finds all his support in God? "Throw yourself into His arms," says Saint Augustine; "He will not take them away; He will not let you fall." And when once we are in the arms of God what enemy can harm us? what temptation can tear us from Him?

"But the justice of God is very terrible," you may say, "and I ought always to fear it." That is quite true; but for whom is His justice terrible? Is it for those children of God who love Him and serve Him as a Father, who are determined to refuse Him nothing and to displease Him in nothing? No. If these children love God, God loves them still more; He sees that their faults are not faults of malice, but of imperfection and human weakness: at the first look of love and sorrow that they turn to Him He will forgive them; and even if He has to punish them He will punish them in this world, in the way that is most advantageous for their salvation.

Is it for the sinners who return to God sincerely that His justice is terrible? No. They experience the effects of His great mercy; and often they are treated with so much tenderness and love that even the just are jealous of them: we have only to think of Mary Magdalen and of the Prodigal Son.

The Divine justice is only terrible for those who will not have recourse to His mercy, either through presumption or through despair; for those who love sin and do not wish to give it up; for those whose will is not straightforward and upright, and who would like, if they could, to deceive God Himself. But it is quite clear that such sinners as these have not and cannot have any real trust in God; it is clear that they have no right to this trust; for real trust in God can only begin from the time that we begin sincerely to desire to renounce sin, and to be overcome with shame and sorrow at having offended God.

God wishes us to fear His justice, that for this reason we may avoid sin, that we may forsake it as soon as possible, that we may expiate it by penance, that we may never think we have expiated it sufficiently, and that we may not lightly presume on the hope of pardon. But at the same time He wishes us to trust in Him, to hope for all things from His mercy, to return to Him rather through love than fear, and never to allow ourselves to become the prey of a terror that is without foundation and injurious to God, and that can have no other effect than to discourage and dishearten us.

But how far are we to carry this trust in God? As far as His power and His goodness; as far as our own weakness and our own misery; that is to say, our trust is to be boundless. Thus, however difficult perfection may be, we must strive after it with humility and confidence, without being frightened at the difficulties and dangers in the way. But, as, when we consider ourselves, we ought always to say, "I can do nothing," so when we consider God, Who will be our Guide and Support on the way, we ought to say, "I can do all things through Him, and by His grace I shall succeed."

But the world is very much to be feared. "Have confidence" said our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ; "I have overcome the world" He overcame it in His own Person; He will overcome it again in ours. Is the world more formidable for us than it was for so many martyrs and so many saints? Had these martyrs and saints any strength of themselves? Not any more than we have; but they were strong with the strength of God, and we can be so, as they were. But the snares of the devil are so crafty and so powerful. The devil can do nothing against a humble trust in God. Never presume on your own strength; expect everything from God, and all the powers of hell will never be able to hurt you.

But self-love corrupts everything, poisons everything; it is always to be feared, whatever progress we may have made. Always, then, distrust yourself; be always on your guard against your own judgment and your own will. Increase each day in the love of God, and each day you will weaken self-love. Sacrifice all your own interests to those of God; leave to Him the care of all that concerns you, and only occupy yourself with doing His will. Do not refer God to yourself, but refer yourself to God for everything that is of any consequence to you, in time and in eternity, and self-love will be lost in the love of God.

But we must pass through many trials and humiliations to die entirely to ourselves. Yes, and this goes much farther than you can possibly imagine or foresee. But the more generously you accept these trials and humiliations, the more God will support you. Your courage and strength will increase beyond measure; or rather, in proportion as you lose your own strength, you will acquire the strength of God, and with that you will become capable of everything, superior to everything. And your victory over the world, over the devil, and over yourself, will be the effect of your trust in God. "Perfect love" Saint John says, "casts out fear;" all fear, except the fear of offending God or of refusing Him anything.

- taken from Manual for Interior Souls, by Father Jean Nicolas Grou