Podcast Summary: “Trust Again” | Social Dallas Podcast

Speaker: Pastor Josh Castaneda, with Pastor Robert & Pastor Taylor Madu
Date: February 22, 2026
Episode Theme: Embracing Trust—Especially After Disappointment

Episode Overview

This episode, led by Pastor Josh Castaneda, wraps up Social Dallas’ annual focus on “trust” as a spiritual practice, particularly following disappointment or seasons of waiting. Drawing on 1 Kings 18:41–45 (Elijah and the arrival of rain after drought), Josh unpacks the struggle and renewal of trust—not just in people, but ultimately in God. The message is a compassionate call to “trust again,” regardless of personal letdowns, weariness, or seemingly unanswered prayers.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Year of Trust: Setting the Context

• [00:00] Pastor Robert introduces the theme, anchoring it in Hebrews 10:35–37. Each Social Dallas year is framed by a Word, with 2026’s being “Trust”.
  • “Not shaky trust, but confident trust in the Lord.”
  • Recognizes that God shapes character through trials that build trust.
• Personal introduction of Pastor Josh with a story of the Holy Spirit’s confirmation:
  • “He can be trusted.” (Robert, [01:00])

2. Honoring Leadership & Community

• [02:14] Pastor Josh honors Social Dallas and its leaders, Robert and Taylor Madu, commending their difficult but faithful leadership as a model of trust.

3. Trust: More Complex Than We Admit

• Many people have a complicated relationship with trust due to past hurts, betrayal, or disappointment.
  • “Trust is gained in drops but lost in buckets.” (Josh, [07:45])
• Most trust issues are not just horizontal (with people), but vertical—with God Himself.
  • “What if the trust issues that I was talking about today actually have to do with your trust issues with God?” (Josh, [09:40])
• Trust is layered and compartmentalized. We may trust God in one area of life but struggle in others.

4. Trust as Pattern Recognition

• Trust is not a one-time decision, but a repeated, learned response based on patterns from early life.
  • “Trust at its core is not something we decide first. Trust at its core is actually something we recognize.” (Josh, [12:25])

5. Reconciling God’s Promises with Reality

• Real faith acknowledges doubt and difficulty. The Psalms show even believers wrestle with God’s silence and delays.
• The challenge: Do not let the sound of reality overpower the sound of heaven.
  • “If we’re gonna walk in trust, we can never let the sound of reality overpower the sound of heaven.” (Josh, [17:55])
• Elijah as an example:
  • After victory calling down fire, he must wait (and wait) for rain.
  • Tension: He’s “positioned between two sounds”—what he sees (no change) and what God has promised.

6. When Prayers Seem Unanswered

• Unlike the dramatic, instant answer of fire from heaven, Elijah must persist in prayer for rain—with no results at first.
• Many believers get stuck “between the first and sixth prayer,” losing trust when God doesn’t respond in expected timing or ways.
  • “If you want consistent input and output, you’re probably looking for a vending machine, not the God of heaven and earth.” (Josh, [20:45])

7. Facing Human Limitations and God's Timing

• The number six (times Elijah’s servant found “nothing”) represents human effort/incompleteness; only on the seventh did God move.
  • “Six in the Bible represents man...incompleteness. You might still be within the realm of human effort.” (Josh, [27:00])
• Sometimes, persistent prayer isn’t because we’re wrong or our faith is weak, but because the timing isn’t yet God’s—and “you weren’t wrong, you were early.” ([29:10])

8. Anchoring Trust in God’s Word

• Even when Heaven “feels quiet,” Scripture provides the “sound” (promise) we need.
  • “There is a Bible full of 66 books that are full of sounds, that are sounds over your life, that are sounds over your future...” (Josh, [22:30])
  • “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing comes from the word of God.” (Josh, [23:00])

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On losing trust:
  “Trust is gained in drops but lost in buckets.” (Josh, [07:45])

• On waiting on God:
  “We get stuck somewhere between the first prayer and the sixth prayer, and our faith takes a damaging blow because we begin to tell God, ‘I did everything I was supposed to do.’” (Josh, [19:45])

• On God’s timing:
  “It’s not that you were wrong. You were just early.” (Josh, [29:10])

• Anchoring hope:
  “If you can hear the sound, you can see the cloud.” (Robert, [34:38])

• On the power of persistent trust:
  “The cloud wasn’t the miracle yet, but the cloud was all Elijah needed to know the miracle was on its way.” (Josh, [30:53])

• Powerful call to those at the end of their rope:
  “This was your last chance...But there is a sound over your life. And if there is a sound, that means there’s a cloud. And if there’s a cloud, that means that rain is on the way...” (Taylor, [26:29])

Memorable Segment Breakdown with Timestamps

• [00:00–02:14] – Pastor Robert sets the stage, honors Pastor Josh, introduces the “Year of Trust.”
• [02:14–07:45] – Pastor Josh’s personal thanks, honoring leadership, and transition into the teaching.
• [07:45–14:00] – Explores the layers and complexity of trust in human relationships and with God.
• [14:00–21:00] – Connects Elijah’s story: victory followed by waiting, caught between circumstantial reality and God’s word.
• [21:00–26:59] – Famous “Go Look Again” segment: persistent hope, practical personalization for any painful situation (with Taylor’s interjections for impact).
• [26:59–29:10] – Unpacking the symbolism of six/seven; human effort vs. God’s completion.
• [29:10–30:53] – Josh’s personal testimony of waiting, disappointment, and the lesson that sometimes “you’re just early.”
• [30:53–34:10] – Power prayer, altar call, collective step forward to “trust again.”
• [34:10–end] – Robert’s closing affirmation, vision for the coming week, and charge to the community.

Episode Takeaways

• Trust is a journey: It’s normal to wrestle, question, and lose heart—but God keeps inviting us to “trust again.”
• God’s ‘silence’ is not absence: When Heaven seems quiet, His Word is still “full of sounds” for us to stand on.
• Persist beyond visible results: The breakthrough might not happen on your first, third, or even sixth attempt—but don’t give up; sometimes “you’re just early.”
• Look for the cloud: Even a small sign of God’s promise means the rain (restoration, answer, healing) is coming.

For Listeners Needing Encouragement

This episode is for anyone who has grown weary while waiting—for restoration, breakthrough, or simply to trust again. The invitation is to recognize that God is not asking for naïve optimism but a willingness to “go look again.” The signs may start small (like a cloud the size of a man’s hand), but they signal God’s faithfulness is on the way.

Memorable Quote to Hold:

“If you can hear the sound, then you can see the cloud.”
— Pastor Josh & Pastor Robert ([26:05]; [34:38])