Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path. Proverbs 3:5-6
This selection from Proverbs is perhaps one of the most comforting promises in the Old Testament - the assurance that God will give us direction if we put our trust in Him. But trust requires courage, even trusting in God. We often prefer to trust God in the abstract but put our faith in what we can see, what we can control. The temptation is great to “lean upon our own understanding” because then the path is predictable, guided by our decisions.
This is a grave error, for our vision is limited and our understanding is tempered by our circumstances. The Message translation of these verses helps us see this proverb in a familiar vernacular. “Don’t assume you know it all. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go. He’s the One who will keep you on track.” With trust must come an acceptance of the will of God. The word “acknowledge” used here means to know His ways inside and out - to recognize that He is the ultimate authority of our lives.
Our trust is an outgrowth of our faith. We hear the term “blind faith” and speak of “stepping out on faith.” But faith is not blind. It is the “substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 Our faith is based on the understanding that God is and He is in control. It is in being obedient to His will that we see the power of our faith, the results of our trust.
Trust is the embodiment of our faith, the tangible or visible representation. It is one thing to say we believe, and yet another to put that statement into action. David faced the warrior Goliath. Daniel walked into the lions’ den. Early Christians faced the horrors of persecution, all trusting that God was with them, that their faith was based on the solid rock of His Promise. We must accept that faith is not the assurance that life will go as we intend but the realization the He has written the final chapter and it is “Victory.”
Fittingly, the proverb ends with a beautiful promise to those who are faithful, who put their trust in Almighty God. “When you lie down, you will not be afraid. Your sleep will be sweet - the Lord is at your side. Proverbs 3:24-26
Comments