Proverbs 3:5-6 New
International Version
5 Trust in the Lord with
all your heart and
lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
If you are looking for some great advice, I highly recommend all of chapter 3 from Proverbs. I think verses 5 & 6 became my favorite bible passage because it seemed to be the only one, I could memorize other than the verses, pray continually, and Jesus wept. I prefer the version that says submit to Him instead of acknowledge Him, because I feel it is a stronger way of saying that I believe God is the Lord and Authority over my life.
Maybe God wanted me to focus on this one passage because my
approach to life for the most part was through my own understanding. I used to
be a person who mocked and rejected God and could only see the world through my
own limited perspective. I know now that navigating this life without Jesus as
my cornerstone would be like standing on sinking sand not solid
ground.
Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds me of the
importance of trusting God and submitting to Him all the areas of my life that
I desire to control. In any situation my first inclination is to try to control
my circumstances and act without counsel from God. But I find I have a great deal more wisdom,
discernment, and peace when I inquire of the Lord. When it comes to making
decisions whether big or small, God promises to give generously the wisdom we
need if we just ask and don’t doubt that He will. I am always grateful for His perspective and
answers to my requests. God sees all, He knows all and is sovereign over all
things. Therefore, it makes sense that I should let Him direct my path.
A good understanding of this principle of trusting the Lord with
all my heart starts with Isaiah 55:8-9 where God says: For my thoughts are not your thoughts
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher
than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your
thoughts.
Embracing this truth about the mind of God helps me to
acknowledge and submit to His authority. Acknowledging God’s authority and
submitting to His authority are not the same thing. It took me a while to learn
this, and I still resist submission.
Trusting the Lord takes a great deal of humility in that I must
admit I cannot outthink God, nor should I expect to bear any fruit for His kingdom
without His help. Jesus said: If you remain in me
and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. When I look at my
wife Deena’s life for example, I see a lot of evidence of a fruitful
relationship with Jesus and that evidence encourages me to do the same. Plus, I have lived a
lifetime worth of poor decisions, that prove to me that leaning on my own
understanding and living disconnected from Jesus is a bad idea.
My history proves that God can redeem and restore anyone.
I grew up in a Jewish family that never had a good thing to say
about Jesus. In college I tried to find truth in anything but Christianity,
like Buddhism, Existentialism, Nihilism, Humanism and many other isms. My life was full of Spiritual dead ends. Many
years later after getting married, my wife Deena challenged me to read the
Bible, and I told her I would when I was good and ready. Because God
supernaturally softened my heart the time came for me to crack open the Bible. I
said to God, I will believe if you show me Jesus is the Messiah for the Jews. I
wanted the proof. So, in a way I never could imagine, God made the scripture
jump right out of the page showing me in the Old Testament, through the
prophets, how Jesus is the Messiah for the Jews. By the end of the Old
Testament, I became a believer in Jesus Christ.
Then decided to read the New Testament just to see how the story
ends.
Our world and culture flood us with confusing messages, even
lies like “my truth and your truth are equally valid”. That is why we
need to lean on God’s Word to tell us exactly how we should live.
God gave me understanding when it comes to my salvation. It is
God who establishes truth. That really matters because the truth is, only
Jesus can save us. Seeking God’s truth is the only thing that truly makes
sense in this life.
Real submission and trust in the Lord awaken in me, when I love
God more than I love myself. When I embrace His plans and desires for my life.
When I am willing to take the road, the Lord has directed, instead of my own
preferences.
I want to do this so that my life and my walk with God will be
like a tight harmony in the midst of a beautiful song of praise. May it be so!
