Where Has Trust Gone in the Modern World?

This past month has been difficult for our family. My wife recently underwent surgery that was expected to be straightforward, with a standard recovery period of a few weeks. It is one her surgeon has performed thousands of times. But since then, recovery has been anything but the normal routine. She has had to return for follow-up surgery, and six weeks later, she is still not healing as expected.

When we first met with the surgical team, they assured us: Trust us. This just takes time. That gave us hope—at least the first time we heard it. But hearing the same words over and over without progress eventually starts to feel hollow. Especially when others who had the same surgery were up and walking just days later.

I am not someone who pushes hard for answers, maybe because I grew up in a medical family—my father, brother, and son are all family practice physicians. I have seen firsthand how hard doctors work and how much they care. Still, I admire how some of my kids have stepped in—kind but direct—asking the questions I sometimes avoid. They are pursuing clarity, advocating with grace. And truthfully, I have been learning from them.

But what is hitting us most deeply during this time is the question that looms over every disappointing outcome: Who can you really trust?

We often throw the word “trust” around casually—trust the system, trust the experts, trust the process. But when life presses in—when pain lingers, answers do not come, and expectations collapse—trust becomes personal and costly. And it forces us to confront an uncomfortable truth: human trust, while necessary, is never ultimate. People can be disappointed. Outcomes can shift. Plans can break.

So where do we turn when our confidence in people falters?

As believers in Christ, we are invited to trust someone greater. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5–6). It is one of the most quoted verses in Scripture—and one of the hardest to live when life feels uncertain.

This kind of trust is not passive. It does not mean pretending everything is fine. It means surrender—releasing our grip on the things we cannot control: a delayed recovery, an unanswered prayer, an unresolved question. It is a choice to believe that God sees what we cannot, and that His wisdom surpasses ours, even when the outcome makes no sense.

Trusting God does not mean doing nothing—it means doing the right things with the right posture. It means praying with persistence. Immersing ourselves in His Word. Seeking His voice even when we are tired or afraid. It is an active dependence on the One who promises to lead us—even through the valley.

And God does not leave that trust unanswered.

Jeremiah 33:3 gives us a powerful reminder: “Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” The same God who spoke galaxies into existence listens when we call. He is not silent, distant, or too busy. He answers. Maybe not always how we expect—but always with purpose.

So where has trust gone? It is still here. Not in systems, surgeons, or outcomes—but in a faithful God who never fails, even when people do. He invites us to bring our questions, our frustrations, and even our doubts and in return, He offers peace. Not because we understand, but because we know Who holds our future.

If you are in a season of uncertainty, you are not alone. Take one step today: not toward control, but toward surrender. Lay the burden at His feet and trust Him with all your heart.