Renee still believed in God’s existence, but for many years she didn’t trust Him. And no wonder! As a small child, she had been mistreated by a cruel father. This trauma left such deep emotional scars that she blamed herself and felt she didn’t deserve to live.

When she became an adult, she married but couldn’t believe that her husband loved her. Nor could she accept God’s love. Why had He let her go through so much pain? She couldn’t bring herself to trust Him.

Some victims of child abuse try to find an escape in drugs, alcohol, and immoral conduct, but Renee chose a different course. “Finally, I surrendered to a God I didn’t even trust,” she wrote. “My foundation was crumbling so fast that I held on to the only shred of hope I could find—God!” He responded by making the Bible come alive to her. Christian friends came into her life, one of whom was a pastor who cried with her and counseled her. Since that time, much healing has occurred. She says she has learned that although God does not always keep her from being hurt, He is always there to see her through.

We can learn to trust God. When we do, we discover that God can be trusted. It all begins with surrender.

  — Herbert Vander Lugt