Belief is not enough—you need trust.

The Talmud says that before a robber breaks in, he prays that G‑d should help him.

He believes in G‑d, but he doesn’t trust Him to provide him an honest living—and so he steals and murders instead.

Trust in G‑d is when your belief changes the way you live.

People ask, “How can I have confidence that everything will work out for the best? Perhaps I don’t deserve the best. Perhaps I’ve already messed up so bad, G‑d has given up on me.”

These people are confusing trust with faith.

Faith is something you may or may not have. But trust is something you do. Hard.

Trust is when, in times of trouble, you cleave so unshakably to the heavens, you pull them down to earth.

Trust is a mighty, heroic bond. Trust changes who you are—and what you deserve.

And it is available to anybody, at any moment, no matter who they were the moment before.

Trust transcends hope, as the sky above transcends the earth below.

A thread of hope is an anchor to the ground, a narrow path you’ve set for destiny to lead you.

The thread snaps and your eyes look up to see nothing more than the open sky. Hope is gone. All you can do now is trust the One who has no bounds.

That is Trust: When you stop suggesting to your Maker how He could rescue you. When you are prepared to be surprised by wonders and open to miracles.

Keep your trust in G‑d for yourself.

When things don’t go so well, tell yourself it is all really for the good, and rejoice in however G‑d treats you.

But when others come with their troubles, telling them they should rejoice in their afflictions is plain callousness. Cry with them, pray for them, do everything you can for them—and then you can tell them to trust in G‑d.

King David Says:

Even before I am aware of my thoughts, He has it all worked out. (Psalms 139:4 according to the Targum)

Trusting in the One Above doesn’t mean waiting for miracles.

It means having confidence in what you are doing right now.

Because you know He has set you on a good path and given you the right ideas.

He invests in you and He trusts in you. And you should, too.

Igeret Hakodesh 11, according to the Rebbe’s biurim.

By Tzvi Freeman