This article looks at the position from a logical point of view rather than being based on revealed knowledge. The argument set out in this article is that it is God who gives you both trust in and love of God. Because God appears to be intangible, it is difficult to conceptualise God let alone trust or love Him unless you are ready for this. God is covered by a veil ('Maya') consisting of the three gunas of Prakriti and this veil is penetrated only through love which is gained as one's impurities are dissolved. All you can do is to decide to serve Him, to take steps to gain purity of mind and to develop a spiritual/religious inclination.

Faith and trust (in God, in the love of God for you, etc) is to be distinguished from belief. Belief can be instilled in a child but it will not become real faith until it is experienced as true.

Can or Should One Take Active Steps to Develop Trust in God?

• Is there a separate concept like 'Trust in God' that someone who wishes to serve God needs to actively develop in order to make decisions?
• At first sight, in material matters, like in the reliability of one's car or in the advice given by one's solicitor, it appears that one needs to have trust. But for one who has faith in God one does not need trust in one's car or one's solicitor. God will arrange things as He sees fit.
• So, if trust and faith are not required other than perhaps in God, does one need these in God? Now, if you serve Him and do what He wishes you to do then all your decisions are governed by this rule of doing His wishes and faith or otherwise is superfluous.
• But what if you do not know what He wishes you to do? You have to make up your own mind as to how to serve Him. You need to use your judgement as to which solicitor to go to. But judgement is not 100% reliable and there are a million possible outcomes. One does not really know that solicitor X will give better advice for you than solicitor Y. So one needs faith. But this faith is not in the solicitor or the advice given but that the advice given will best serve God's purpose.
• But how can one with minute vision determine which outcome or advice best serves God's purpose for you? One may as well be paralysed into inaction and wait patiently for God to communicate His wishes. So one needs to wait patiently until such time as God tells you what He wishes you to do, or rather you are ready band able to hear it.
• The conclusion is that faith in His love for you is not required for the purpose of serving God. Of course faith in His love for you makes it easier to serve God, but the point I am making is that it is not necessary. Since it is not required, it is also not possible to build this faith on one's own. All one can do is to hope that by serving God, i.e. surrendering to God, He will give you more faith in His love for you.

Can One of One's Own Volition Develop Love for God?

• To love a human being, you do not need to believe that he or she loves you. You do not need faith or trust in him or her. But God appears intangible to human beings. How can one develop an unselfish love for something that one cannot see, hear, etc? If you are lucky, you will have an existing stock of trust in and love for God. But, your trust in or love of God will not be perfect or complete. A selfish love will build as He gives you positive experiences of love and gives you gifts. For this you need to have faith that He is giving you these. As noted above such faith cannot be developed by oneself.
• Therefore, it is not possible to build a true unselfish or unconditional love for God by oneself.

God gives you trust and faith in God. God gives you love of God. All you can do is to decide to serve Him and develop your religious inclinations, and wait.