“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 verse is one of those that I find myself going back to
time and again. For a long time the verse served primarily as a reminder to
trust God and to rest in Him- a promise for those who would trust in the Lord-
and what a blessing and comfort when the way has seemed unclear or uncertain.
But in recent years, I have really
focused more on the first three quarters of these verses, and even more so, on
the two times the word all is used.
There is a requirement and a promise. The more I think on
the word “all,” the more the requirement feels impossible. After all, we have
regularly cautioned our girls against the use of words like all/always/never
because they are hard to keep or prove true. They are absolutes and therefore something
that requires a level of perfection/completeness we cannot pretend to attain. Consider….
“Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart…” This means we must turn over
everything we love, everyone we care for, everything we value and trust it to
the Lord. My mind tells me that makes perfect sense since the Lord is the Lord
God Almighty, creator of the world and all that is in it, the very One whose
word brought everything into being and who holds it all together. Where else
would I place my trust? But when I really lean into the word all, I
start to squirm a little. This means everything. Everyone I care
for. Everything I hold to be important and value. I must lay it ALL in
the hands of the Lord. I must give up my own control over the situations and
leave them with the Lord, even if His path is not one I would choose. Despite
all I know of God, sometimes the fear of what that may mean feels too great and I find it too hard to give all.
”….lean not on your own understanding.” This strikes another cord for it
goes against all that we are told and taught to believe in our society today. I
did a quick google search on relying on yourself and here are some of the first
quotes that came up.
“Because in the end, you’re all you got.”
“Depend on yourself before depending on others, because others can let your
down, but you can pick yourself up.”
“In the end, the only person you can rely on is yourself.” (Wayne Scholtz)
“Your first problem is relying on someone else’ word. Always depend on yourself.
No one will work as hard for you as you will.” (Behdad Sami)
“Don’t depend too much on anyone in this world because even your shadow leaves
you when you’re in the darkness.”
“Those who fly solo have the strongest wings.”
“Rely on yourself and be true to who you are. What’s unique about you is what
will take you far. Don’t look to others to say you’re okay. You know it- so
believe it!- show your own self the way.” (Wayne Dyer)
Some of these quotes come off a little jaded, while others
are definitely meant to be inspirational, but in the end, the message is the
same. No one knows what is right for you or will do better for you than you, so
choosing to “lean not on your own understanding” seems rather counterintuitive
and maybe even radical. I mean who could know what is better for me than me? To
choose to lean on someone else’s understanding requires a certainty of their good
will as well as their knowledge of you and what you are facing. It is no small feat
to achieve. For me, it isn't believing God knows all and therefore knows more than me, but it is humbling myself enough to truly seek only His understanding because He knows all and therefore knows more.
“In ALL your ways, acknowledge Him….” Here we are again- another all.
In all your ways- all your actions, all your responses, all
your interactions, and not just with your family and friends and amenable
co-workers. In ALL your ways- that means how you respond to the person who has
wronged you, the person who has hurt you- deeply and frequently. It means how
you act when what you know to be right goes against the crowd or your family
and friends. It means how you treat your enemy, your competition, the gloating
victor. In ALL these ways and in ALL we do, we are to acknowledge Him and that
means acknowledging that He is the creator of all, He is almighty and all
knowing, gracious and just, love and truth and His way is the only right way.
And in acknowledging Him in this way, we must also be able to recognize and
accept our own limitations and failings, and that can be a hard thing to do.
To trust and rely on God, acknowledging His sovereignty in
all things at all times certainly feels like an enormous request. How could God
make such a request when He knows we will be unable to keep it?
Because only then can God truly direct our paths. Otherwise,
we will be in a sort of tug of war with Him, where we say we are going to leave
Him in control but then “this one time” for “this specific person,” we get
uncomfortable giving up control. We get scared or nervous of what the outcome might
mean if we don’t direct things, so instead of allowing God to direct our path,
we snatch a part back and try to do it on our own. God may still walk alongside
us but the path is no longer one where He leads. We rob ourselves of the promise
and the blessing when we don’t freely offer the trust, reliance and acknowledgment
He has asked for. It is a task we will have to work at all of our life, but it will
be so worth it- both in this life and for the age to come.
When I focus on that last part, what felt impossible now
appears to be one of the greatest blessings of all. It will still take a lot of
work on my part and on yours, and we will certainly fail more times than we’d
ever care to admit, but God is faithful and will be there when we turn back to
Him.
God asks us to give up control and rest in Him. And while those
“all” statements may seem so difficult at times, the “all/always” statements
God offers in return are incomparable (and this is just a few).
“Come to Me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you
rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in
heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden
is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
‘As for God, His way is perfect: the Lord’s word is flawless;
He shields all who take refuge in Him. For who is God besides the Lord?
And who is the Rock except our God?” Psalm 18:30-31
“I sought the Lord, and He answered me and delivered me
from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces
shall never be ashamed. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the
man who takes refuge in Him.” Psalm 34:4-5, 8
“Yes, my soul finds rest in God; my hope comes from Him.
Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust
in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is
our refuge.” Psalm 62:5-8
“Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise
His holy name. Praise the Lord my soul and forget not all His benefits- who
forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems
your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies
your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalm
103: 1-5
“The Lord watches over you- the Lord is your shade at your
right hand; the sun will not harm you by day nor the moon by night. The Lord
will keep you from all harm- He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch
over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” Psalm 121:5-8
“Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days
ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm
139:16
“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:31-33
“This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ
to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and
Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption
that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:22-24
“And we know that for those who love God all
things work together for good, for those who are called according to His
purpose.” Romans 8:28
“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave Him up for us all-
how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all
things?” Romans 8:32
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every
situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to
God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will
guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
“And my God will meet all your needs according
to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Hebrews 13:8
“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares
for you.” 1 Peter 5:7
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will
forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John
1:9
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20b
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall
be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for
the former things have passed away.’ And He who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold,
I am making all things new.’” Revelation 21:4-5
He is making ALL things new. All that I care for, all that I
value, all that I know and understand and all that I do. He is making ALL
things new. Maybe in this world and maybe not until the next- but that is one
promise we can cling to.
Yes, amen and amen! God asks us to “trust in the Lord with
all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways
acknowledge (Him),” and he replies with “I am with you always" and "I am making all things new!”
