Trust in the Lord
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
(Proverbs 3:5-6, ESV)
King Solomon’s wisdom was a gift from God, an answer to his prayer. While there are several voices in the book of Proverbs, King Solomon contributed most to this book.
You may have read this verse a number of times. It’s certainly a popular one. But I love how every time we read Scripture over and over again, we can glean something new. That’s because the Word is alive and active, sharper than a two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12).
When you read this verse, you can almost feel the fatherly tone of someone trying to give advice. The Father’s voice is marked with compassion and urgency. Read the verse again and imagine the Father speaking this verse directly to you. Even insert your name.
“Trust in the Lord ____ with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
(Proverbs 3:5-6, ESV)
Trust – Believe in the Lord and know He is faithful and will do what needs to be done.
Lean – It’s important we don’t lean on our own understanding.That will cause us heartache. Leaning/trusting in the Lord is essential. Imagine this visual: Would you rather lean against a brick wall that’s sturdy, strong, and can withstand anything, OR would it be better to lean against a straw structure that could easily tumble and fall. That may sound silly, the answer may be obvious, but that’s why it’s so important to lean on the Lord. The Lord is a strong tower, MIGHTY to withstand anything (Proverbs 18:10).
Make your path straight – Therefore, if we trust God and lean not on our own understanding, we will do what is right. Obedience to God will activate God’s faithful promises and He will show us the way to go. God will never leave us, nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6-8). Aren’t you thankful for that?
Trust
Lean
God will make your path straight
But we have to listen and OBEY.
About a month ago, my husband and I had to rush down to Florida to see my mom. She thought her hip had given out.
I entered her address into my GPS, and as we got closer to Jacksonville, the GPS told me to get off I-95.
“That can’t be,” I thought. “I’ve gone this way a number of times before and I’ve NEVER had to get off I-95.”
It was close to 1:00 a.m. and I just wanted to get to our destination. I knew I still had an hour and a half left. After I passed the exit my GPS wanted me to take, my screen started flashing and, within a mile, I was abruptly forced to get off the major highway. Turns out, that portion of I-95 was undergoing construction.
Panic set in. I looked at my husband and said, “What do we do now?”
He calmly said, “Christine, you have to follow the GPS. I don’t know where we are.”
In the midst of trying to get our way BACK on track, a car ran a red light and almost hit us, I had trouble seeing the road, and my nerves were so rattled I thought I was going to puke. That detour took us about 30 minutes longer than I had intended, but I had to listen intently on the voice from the GPS that directed me. When we finally got back on track, I vowed never to ignore the GPS again. I did not listen and obey, and it created quite a mess.
That event reminds me so much of this verse and how important it is to trust, lean, and obey God.
God is our GPS.
God knows our situation. He knows where we are and the directions we need in order to get to our destination. We need to trust, lean into God, and obey. That begins with spending time with God in His Word every day.
Trust. Lean. Obey. It reminds me of the hymn, “Trust and Obey:”
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
PRAYER: Father, we thank You that You are a good God, a good Father, someone we can always lean into and trust. Help us to trust in You with all of our hearts. Help us to lean not on our own understanding. Lord, when we do that, we know we mess up. So Lord, we will trust and obey, knowing You will make our paths straight. Thank You for loving us and thank You for always being there, even when we do mess up. We love You, Lord. Amen.
We hope and pray this encourages you today. Please know we are praying for you that God would touch your heart in a powerful way and bring you closer to Him. Trust Him. He is always faithful. You ARE loved.
Christine Batchelder