Laura
Your question is a good one-in fact, it is essential to the Christian life to learn to trust the Father. One way to do that is simply ask Him for what you need and then watch how He answers. If you need strength to fight a battle with a particular sin in your life, if you need wisdom to guide your decisions, if you need to feel His presence, then ask Him for those things in prayer. He will meet those needs-He will meet you in the Eucarist, in the Word, in the people He has given to guide you-your priest, pastor, parents, and wise friends. When we ask for simple daily needs like a place to live or decent friends, He provides. The more we look in faith for His actions in our lives, the more we see that we can trust Him. He may not always provide exactly what we expected, but with time it becomes clear that "all things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose."
That's my evangelical Christian take on it, for what it's worth.
Michele
