History of the Song, Trust in God

First performed by Elevation Worship in April of 2023, the song uses the melody and some of the words from a much-revered hymn, “Blessed Assurance”. The expressed intent of the song is to offer Christians hope that God is with us and, to some degree, saving us from the full impact of trials we face in life. Repeating the emphasis on the believer’s need to “trust in God”, the lyrics would appear on the surface to be theologically sound. However, for some, there is an undertone of human expectancy that God will come to our rescue, which has the potential to elicit unwarranted human demands over God’s sovereignty.

Elevation Worship

Elevation Worship is a contemporary music group home-based at Elevation Church, located in Charlotte, North Carolina (26k weekly attendance). Elevation’s theology, as seen from their website (details here) is sound, however, it is not without its Christian detractors (details here) claiming a leaning toward both a performance and prosperity gospel. Elevation Worship has released a number of very popular albums since 2011 (details here). As an indication of their acclaim, the group currently has nearly 7 million followers on YouTube.

What Theology is Expressed in the Verses?

Below are the verses of the song “Trust in God”, along with some commentary.

First Stanza

Blessed assurance Jesus is mine
He’s been my fourth man in the fire
Time after time
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood
And what He did for me on Calvary is more than enough

There would seem to be nothing at odds with Scripture from the first set of verses. Of course, the first line comes directly from the model song, “Blessed Assurance”, so any concern over the phrase, “Jesus is mine” rather than “I am His” (i.e. the question of where the center of authority is located) would need to be directed to both melodies.

Refrain

I trust in God, My Savior
The One who will never fail
He will never fail

Jesus Christ will never fail us. That is so true and something we should praise Him for. However, humanity’s definition of “never fail” vs. God’s definition can be very different.

Second Stanza

Perfect submission, all is at rest
I know the author of tomorrow Has ordered my steps
So this is my story And this is my song
Oh I’m praising my risen king and savior
All the day long

A wonderful verse of confidence and clear submission to Christ’s authority, superiority, and as our Savior.

Repeating Refrain

I trust in God, My Savior
The One who will never fail
He will never fail
I trust in God, My Savior
The One who will never fail
He will never fail

Again, a repeating emphasis on God’s involvement in the life of the believer. God will never fail us… from His perspective. However, the Bible is replete with verses that caution the born-again Christian that God will walk with us, but not “always” protect us from pain, loss, persecution, etc.

Psalm 23:4 – Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Third Repeating Stanza

I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered
I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered
I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered
That’s why I trust Him
That’s why I trust Him

I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered
I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered
I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered
That’s why I trust Him

This set of overly repeating verses emphasizes two areas of theology that can represent unsound doctrine from a Biblical Christian worldview. The first area of concern is the direction of pursuit between God and man. There is an implication that we are taking the initiative in establishing the relationship, rather than God. Of course, this enters the realm of Predestination vs. Free Will, and there are verses that support both sides of that controversy. However, for some, this repetition of, “I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered” pushes the boundary of who is in control of the relationship. The second area of concern has to do with the believer. In times of stress, there is an expected desire to pray fervently that God will always come to our rescue in times of trials. But when the verses transition into the phrase, “That is why I trust Him”, the implication is that our faith and trust in God is dependent on us seeking Him and, more significantly, Him responding to our command for our version of support.

Repeating Refrain

That’s why I trust in God, My Savior
The One who will never fail
He will never fail

I trust in God, My Savior
The One who will never fail
He will never fail
Ohh
That’s why I trust in God

Again, “He will never fail” which is the reason why “I trust in God” is true as long as one accepts that God may not see failure the same way we see failure.

Conclusion

It should be noted that anyone can parse and twist the lyrics of any Christian song, both hymns and contemporary music in a way that makes them seem heretical. So, one must be discerning in how we approach the lyrics we sing, recognizing they cannot possibly be as rich or clear in theology as the 750k words found in Scripture. That reality supports the notion that Sunday morning worship services need a balance of emotional music and solid teaching, clearly are not available listening to YouTube videos or music on the radio. Impassioned music alone is tasty spiritual milk but not always solid food (1 Corinthians 3:2).

POSTSCRIPT: I have had some comments on this post, some public, some private, most expressing that I went too far in my criticism. One of the more in-depth responses focused on Psalm 34:4 which certainly tends to suggest a theologically sound interpretation:

Psalm 34:4 — I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.

However, this commenter also acknowledged that if one has a prosperity-based theology the song can be twisted in that heretical direction. This is especially true given the reputation of Elevation Church’s pastor (and therefore tainting their music) as the “prosperity gospel pastor” (details hereand here).

We all approach the world through the lens of our individual worldviews and the lyrics in Christian music is no different. What is important is that it should draw us closer to God and His theology, not our own.