Trust in the Lord

After a month of blogging through the book of Proverbs the thing that stands out to me the most from the book is from day 3. "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 your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones." The book talks about wisdom and discipline, humility and hard work, but I think the foundation of all of that is Proverbs 3.5-8, and in fact, I believe these few simple phrases are the heart of Scripture.

Right now, there is a lot on my heart and mind, more than I can say in a blog post. These are the words that I need to keep in mind, and this has been pretty much all my wife has been telling me for the last 18 hours.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart" fully trust God. Don't hold on to anything, and hold nothing back from Him. Give Him every concern, every uncertainty, every hope and dream. Let God be God.

"And do not lean on your own understanding" don't try to take God's job. I'm my own biggest critic, and left to myself I can worry, panic, become discouraged, and shut down. Left to my own understanding I come up with futile solutions that don't really help all that much.

"In all your ways acknowledge Him" seek God first. No matter what the outcome of a situation, realize that God has your greatest good in mind. Everything that happens is Him working to mold you into the image of Christ so that you can glorify God. In everything we do, we must give the outcome to God and give our best. As we seek Him in everything He will be near to us.

"And He will make your paths straight" God has got this. The future is not a mystery to Him. Your life and circumstances are not unknown to Him. He knows your needs and struggles. He knows your gifts and passions. He knows the path we must walk, and as we acknowledge Him, He will make that path straight. He does not remove the hills and the valleys. He doesn't cut down the forests we must walk through or dry up the rivers we must cross. God does not remove the hardships from our lives because they help mold us into Christlikeness, but He does straighten the path we walk so that it leads directly to the destination.

"Do not be wise in your own eyes" don't think more highly of yourself than you should. Humility is essential to walking with God. If we feel that we are wise enough, and gifted enough, what do we have need of God for? If we feel capable and sure of everything we undertake what do we need to acknowledge God for?

"Fear the Lord and turn away from evil" realize the power and greatness of God. We must come to see our utter dependence upon Him. Without Him we are nothing. Apart from Him we can do nothing. Away from God there is no life, no hope, and no meaning. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and it is what keeps us from evil.

"It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones." Trusting in God, acknowledging and fearing Him, humbly fearing Him, all of these offer healing and refreshment. When we trust in God we free ourselves from worry. We take our problems and give them to God, freeing ourselves to serve and worship Him. When we trust in God we free ourselves from the uncertainty of the future. Trusting God means we walk securely ahead as He leads us. There is no need to worry yourself sick over anything because God has got it.

This is the attitude I am praying for. This is how I want to live. Whatever happens, it will not catch God of guard or unprepared. He knows my situation and my heart, and whatever happens, He will mold me into the image of Christ. So trust in the Lord.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you