Pastor Karen Kepkay
Walking With God
Why Pleasing Him Starts With Trust
Have you ever wondered what it truly takes to please God?
In Hebrews 11:5, we read about a man named Enoch who held no royal titles, nor was he a prophet. He simply walked with God for three hundred years (Genesis 5:22-23). And God was so pleased with him that He took him directly to heaven without seeing death. He had no great achievement recorded nor any victory in battles. Just a man who simply walked with God, and that was enough.
The following verse, Hebrews 11:6, shows us that the way to please God is by having faith in Him the way Enoch did.
“But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him.” (AMP)
What was it about Enoch’s faith that he was commended as one who pleased God and was included into the Faith Hall of Fame? In a world that celebrates achievement, fame, and greatness, God chose to honor a man whose greatest accomplishment was simply trusting Him. That should tell us something important about what truly pleases God. The answer isn’t found in what we do, it’s found in who we trust.
Faith Is Trust, Not Just Belief
Some people believe God exists but will not trust in Him. Believing and trusting are two very different things. Faith can be described as to “trust, to rely on, to cling to.” Hebrews 11:6 then shows us that we need to do both, believe that God exists and trust that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. Enoch believed, trusted, and sought after God.
We can easily go about our day and week knowing that God exists, but not necessarily intentionally seeking Him to be involved in our decisions, relationships, and certain parts of our lives, compartmentalizing God into a box. We surrender just parts and do not trust Him with our entire life. Don’t just believe in God, trust Him and allow Him to bless and guide every part of your life.
Trusting God Starts With Knowing His Character
The truth is, we cannot trust someone we don’t truly know. And that’s where God meets us, He doesn’t leave us wondering who He is. He reveals Himself to us through His Word.
As you get to know our Father’s wonderful and holy character, your trust in Him will grow.
Throughout the Word of God, we receive the great revelation of His character and love for us:
- He has already accepted us (Ephesians 1:6)
- He loved us first (1 John 4:19)
- He is for us and not against us (Romans 8:31)
- He has granted us peace with Him through Jesus’ sacrifice for us (Romans 5:1)
- He is pleased with us in Christ (Matthew 3:17)
Just as a small child trusts their father or mother completely, running to them knowing that they love them and will protect them, we can also trust our Heavenly Father that He is good and we can rest in Him.
If you are a parent, you can probably identify with the delight in your heart when your child comes to you in full trust. It must be pleasing to you. I believe that is how our Father feels when we walk in tandem with Him, resting in Him with unwavering trust, with no need to perform to gain more love from Him.
Pleasing God does not start with our performance, but rather with knowing and trusting that He loves us and that we do not need to prove anything to Him. He is trustworthy and you can trust Him with your life and trust His guidance. As we obey and walk with Him, we will bring delight to His heart. God does not need our performance, He needs our trust that He is already pleased with us.
Trust Is In a Person — Jesus Christ
But how do we move from knowing God’s character to actually trusting Him?
God’s character, being accepting, loving, and pleased with us, might seem invisible to some. Yet Hebrews 1:1-4 tells us that God has spoken to us through His Son Jesus and that He is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being. He provided purification for sins.
Jesus Himself said in John 14:9, “Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father.” The Father’s character is reflected in the flesh through Christ. Every single moment He lived on earth, He showed God’s character in action. He lived it out for us to see. He accepted the outcast, the broken, and those whom society deemed low. He loved the ones that no one else would love. He was moved with compassion for the lost without a shepherd. The greatest tangible expression of His character, His love, healing, and acceptance for us, was in how He gave Himself for us at the Cross, paying the penalty of our sins.
When we trust Jesus, we are not just hoping that God would accept us. It is not blind trust. We can place our trust in Jesus and not in ourselves or our performance, not even in faith itself. We place our faith and trust in Christ, our Savior, who provided a better sacrifice and a better covenant for us to walk with our Father God, just as Enoch did, who also simply trusted Him.
What was Enoch’s reward for trusting God? It wasn’t a thing. It wasn’t a blessing or an achievement or something God placed in His hands. The reward was God Himself, His presence, His companionship, His nearness. Enoch trusted and drew near, and God drew even closer. He walked with Him. He enjoyed Him. That is what trust in God looks like, not receiving something from Him, but receiving Him.
Enoch didn’t have all the answers. He simply trusted the God who had already accepted him. God must have enjoyed being with Enoch so much, being pleased with His faith, that He brought Him home. Today, that same God invites you to do the same, simply trust Him and enjoy His tangible presence that satisfies and is more than enough for us!