“I Will Never Fail You”: When Trust Replaces the Need to Know

As a girl, it almost feels like I was born with a natural tendency to dream and fantasize about my future. I’m sure that’s true of most people—not just young girls. And I wouldn’t say that’s a bad thing. It’s fun to dream about our careers, who we’re going to marry, what life will look like in ten years, or who will become lifelong friends. The list goes on and on. Dreaming gives us something to think about when we can’t sleep at night. But it can also become consuming. Before we know it, our dreams for the future can become an idol.

I say that because I’ve lived it. And honestly, sometimes I still do.

Funny enough, I was talking with my mom as I was praying about what my first blog post should be. Somewhat jokingly, but also seriously, she told me to write about how dwelling on our futures can become so draining—and how we can find freedom from it. As embarrassed as I am by the amount of time I’ve wasted thinking about my future, and by how disappointed I’ve been when things didn’t turn out the way I wanted, I’ve come to realize that this is something many people—not just young girls—struggle with.

Hebrews 11 is all about faith. Most of the chapter, from verses 4–38, walks us through the lives of different Old Testament heroes of faith. Again and again, we see God calling people to sacrifice something and requiring them to walk by faith, trusting Him with what would come on the other side of their obedience. For example, Abraham was called to set out for a place he would later receive as an inheritance, even though he didn’t know where he was going. What stands out to me most are verses 39–40: “All these were approved through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us.”

The primary context of Hebrews 11 encourages us to persevere even when God’s promises don’t seem fulfilled in the way or timing we expect. These men and women trusted God even when they could not see the full picture. They were looking toward something greater than what was immediately in front of them. And I think there is something incredibly freeing about applying that same truth to the way we think about our futures.

If we put ourselves into this passage, we have to ask: What am I being called to sacrifice?

For me, it’s control. God calls me—and He calls you—to surrender our need to control what comes next.

The common thread among these heroes of faith is that they released what they could not ultimately control. Yes, they sacrificed different things and at different costs. But underneath each sacrifice was the same declaration:

“This was in my hands, but I trust that it is better in His.” And what blows my mind is that many of them never lived to see the fullness of what God was doing. Yet they obeyed anyway.

Why?

Because they were confident in who God is.

They knew His character. They knew He had never failed His people before, and they trusted that He never would. Sacrificing control becomes a relief instead of a burden when we know the character of the One we are giving it to.

The people in Hebrews 11 were looking forward to a promise they would not fully see fulfilled in their lifetime. And yet they could rest in God because they trusted that His promises were greater than what they could see.

How different would our lives look if we could hear God whispering over us:

“I will never fail you.

I will never fail you.

I will never fail you.”

Well, He is.

And He has never stopped speaking it.

Freedom from anxiety about tomorrow comes from knowing the One who holds tomorrow. When we surrender our need for control, we receive peace because He is peace.

So, from the Old Testament to now, God continues to call His children to surrender because He is always working toward something greater than what we can see. It is in our nature, as fallen people, to want to be in control. But surrender becomes a relief when we trust the character of the One we are surrendering to. So I encourage you: surrender your need for control and watch what God can do with your obedience.

Anxiety about the future can steal your joy, rob you of your peace, and distract you from the Father right in front of you. I know because I lived in that place for so long. I wanted to know, down to a T, what my future was going to look like. I wanted things to go my way, and I was disappointed when they didn’t. I spent so much time trying to figure out my future that I neglected the One who already knew it.

If only I had slowed down sooner. If only I had taken the focus off myself and put it back on Jesus. I spent far too much time trying to know my future instead of knowing my Heavenly Father. And that would have changed everything.

“I will never fail you.”

That is the hymn of the ages—the truth God was speaking over Abraham, Moses, and all the heroes of faith. And He is still speaking it over you and me today.