Trust in the Lord with All your Heart

“Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5–6 NKJV

I have meditated on this scripture more than any other in the Bible. When I don’t know what to do I come back to these words.

Trust begins when we don’t know what to do. There is no need for trust when we have it all figured out. The good news here is we don’t have to know what to do. We don’t have to figure it all out. We are called to trust, and to put our trust

in the Lord This is not possible without first a belief in God and in the Bible as truth. Even with this belief it is far from easy.

with all your heart In order to fully realize the promise of this verse we need to get out of the way. We cannot worry and trust at the same time. We cannot hold onto our preconceived notions of how things should look and trust at the same time. We cannot doubt the infinite power of God or His love for us and trust at the same time.

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:7–8 NKJV

and lean not on your own understanding. We have been taught self reliance. The self-help industry (of which I have been a part of for over 20 years) implores us to believe in ourselves, to take control, to dig deep and overcome through our personal power. All forms of leaning on our own understanding. This verse clearly instructs us to NOT do this.

In many ways this is the opposite of what we are wired to do. This is an undoing, a letting go, a release of our way of working things out. Do these words imply passivity? I don’t think so. Releasing energy in one area frees it up for another. In this case we transfer our energy from ourselves, our problems, and our limited resources and thrust it fully onto our infinitely powerful and wise Lord. You may still be asking yourself, how do I do this? I believe the answer lies in verse 6:

In all your ways acknowledge Him This goes beyond stating God’s greatness, even beyond believing it. Before David faced Goliath he recalled God’s provisions:

The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine. 1st Samuel 17:37 NIV

Similarly when we recall God’s provisions for us in the past and give Him the glory we invite more of His provisions and glory to enter our lives.

and He shall direct your paths. This is the promise of applying the instruction of this verse. Direction from our almighty, all-knowing Lord. What an incredible promise.

Questions for consideration:

1. Who is God to you? What do you believe about His power, wisdom, and love for you?
2. Identify three times in your life when you did not know what to do, when your best efforts did not solve the situation. How did God make His presence known and direct your path? Be specific.
3. How will you trust in the Lord more fully right now?

Prayer: Lord, Thank you for your infinite wisdom and love for us. Thank you for providing for us when we don’t know what to do. Help us to trust in you wholeheartedly and lean not on our own understanding. Bring us closer to you in our minds and hearts.

@douggrady