The basic premise of biblical trust is the conviction that God wants us to grow, to unfold, and to experience fullness of life. However, this kind of trust is acquired only gradually and most often through a series of crises and trials. Through the indescribable anguish on Mount Moriah with his son Isaac, Abraham learned that the God who had called him to hope against hope was eminently reliable and that the only thing expected of him was unconditional trust. [Abraham] models the essence of trust…: to be convinced of the reliability of God. The story of salvation-history indicates that without exception trust must be purified in the crucible of trial.

from Ruthless Trust