Trust in the Lord
Proverbs 3: 5-6
In Proverbs chapter 3, verses 5 and 6, Solomon is giving us a couple of verses that I think have been used in many days and many times by many people to encourage ourselves, especially in the midst of difficult trials. These two verses have often come to my mind, especially when I find myself in situations where I'm unsure or need some help. They give a unique focus and meditation which brings every believer back to a firm ground, I think, to a rock upon which we can stand, our Bible says to us; or to a strong tower that we can run to for safety. But in order to take hold of these words and the promise they offer, we must do something that, if we are honest, is very difficult to do. We must exercise trust. One person said it this way, “Trust in the Lord is an exercise of faith, the faith that God has given to each of His children in Jesus Christ. Trust is a demonstration of faith in God, in His providence, in His promises and in His grace.”
As we look at these verses, I'm going to break them out a little bit at a time, and give you some things to think about. First, in verse 5, we are told by Solomon that we must trust in the Lord. The word trust translated here means to have confidence or to be confident, to be secure, to feel safe. And the word Lord that we're familiar with is the Hebrew word translated Yahweh, He is the existing one. This is the proper name of the true and living God. Solomon, in these first four verses, is simply saying to us or calling to us, to place our confidence in, to be secure in the true and living God. But he continues, though, he says. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart.” Faith in God calls us to trust in Him alone for the help we need, for the guidance we seek, for the circumstances that we face and for the wisdom we require. There is no room to trust in anything or anyone else. Now this is not to say that God will not use the wisdom He has given or the means that He has provided us. However, our trust is not in those things, our trust is in the one who provided them to us.
Solomon continues in verse 5 at the end here, he says, “And do not lean on your own understanding.” It's as if he is now warning us to not stray from trusting in the Lord. We must remember we cannot accomplish in our own wisdom and understanding what the Lord intends to do. We must remember that it is God who will accomplish all His will, and so we are to trust in the Lord.
In verse 6, Solomon continues. He says, “In all your ways, acknowledge Him.” Now, the word translated, In all for us is all-inclusive, it basically means every occurrence. And the word, your ways refers to your journey, your manner, your direction, your habit, every way that you go. Now, when we look at the word acknowledge, it suggests the idea of recognizing or pointing to someone. And although it might refer to giving God glory as he has answered our prayers, as we have cried to Him, I believe Solomon is calling us to something different here. I think he's calling us to apply our trust in the Lord to every aspect of our life. In other words, we are not to trust only in those moments of need when we cried out to our God. We are also to trust Him moment by moment, day by day, in the simplest of matters to the most complex. Another way of saying it would be this, “In all occurrences of our lives, we must recognize God as the one we must trust.”
Now, at the end of verse 6, we have God's promise. He says very simply, “And he will make straight your paths.” I don't know that we can really dissect that any more than that, it's very clear. That is to say that the Lord, He, the Lord, Yahweh, will guide your steps in the way you should go as you put your trust in God, as you put all of your trust in God. From the simplest to the most complex, God will direct your steps in the way He wants you to go.
As I was studying this verse, I came across Psalm 32:8, and I thought this also adds encouragement along the same meaning here. Psalm 32:8 is David giving glory to God for God's protection, as a brief summary. But down toward the end of the verses, God, it appears, is now instructing David. Psalm 32:8 reads like this, God saying, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” This is what Solomon is also speaking to us about. Our trust in God is not a time when we are in need only, and certainly it is an encouragement, but it's every day of our life.
And as we remind ourselves of trusting in God, we remind ourselves that one of the ways we trust in God, one of the ways we show our faith in God is through prayer, which is why we have come together.
Solomon writes for us, “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.”
In Proverbs chapter 3, verses 5 and 6, Solomon is giving us a couple of verses that I think have been used in many days and many times by many people to encourage ourselves, especially in the midst of difficult trials. These two verses have often come to my mind, especially when I find myself in situations where I'm unsure or need some help. They give a unique focus and meditation which brings every believer back to a firm ground, I think, to a rock upon which we can stand, our Bible says to us; or to a strong tower that we can run to for safety. But in order to take hold of these words and the promise they offer, we must do something that, if we are honest, is very difficult to do. We must exercise trust. One person said it this way, “Trust in the Lord is an exercise of faith, the faith that God has given to each of His children in Jesus Christ. Trust is a demonstration of faith in God, in His providence, in His promises and in His grace.”
As we look at these verses, I'm going to break them out a little bit at a time, and give you some things to think about. First, in verse 5, we are told by Solomon that we must trust in the Lord. The word trust translated here means to have confidence or to be confident, to be secure, to feel safe. And the word Lord that we're familiar with is the Hebrew word translated Yahweh, He is the existing one. This is the proper name of the true and living God. Solomon, in these first four verses, is simply saying to us or calling to us, to place our confidence in, to be secure in the true and living God. But he continues, though, he says. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart.” Faith in God calls us to trust in Him alone for the help we need, for the guidance we seek, for the circumstances that we face and for the wisdom we require. There is no room to trust in anything or anyone else. Now this is not to say that God will not use the wisdom He has given or the means that He has provided us. However, our trust is not in those things, our trust is in the one who provided them to us.
Solomon continues in verse 5 at the end here, he says, “And do not lean on your own understanding.” It's as if he is now warning us to not stray from trusting in the Lord. We must remember we cannot accomplish in our own wisdom and understanding what the Lord intends to do. We must remember that it is God who will accomplish all His will, and so we are to trust in the Lord.
In verse 6, Solomon continues. He says, “In all your ways, acknowledge Him.” Now, the word translated, In all for us is all-inclusive, it basically means every occurrence. And the word, your ways refers to your journey, your manner, your direction, your habit, every way that you go. Now, when we look at the word acknowledge, it suggests the idea of recognizing or pointing to someone. And although it might refer to giving God glory as he has answered our prayers, as we have cried to Him, I believe Solomon is calling us to something different here. I think he's calling us to apply our trust in the Lord to every aspect of our life. In other words, we are not to trust only in those moments of need when we cried out to our God. We are also to trust Him moment by moment, day by day, in the simplest of matters to the most complex. Another way of saying it would be this, “In all occurrences of our lives, we must recognize God as the one we must trust.”
Now, at the end of verse 6, we have God's promise. He says very simply, “And he will make straight your paths.” I don't know that we can really dissect that any more than that, it's very clear. That is to say that the Lord, He, the Lord, Yahweh, will guide your steps in the way you should go as you put your trust in God, as you put all of your trust in God. From the simplest to the most complex, God will direct your steps in the way He wants you to go.
As I was studying this verse, I came across Psalm 32:8, and I thought this also adds encouragement along the same meaning here. Psalm 32:8 is David giving glory to God for God's protection, as a brief summary. But down toward the end of the verses, God, it appears, is now instructing David. Psalm 32:8 reads like this, God saying, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” This is what Solomon is also speaking to us about. Our trust in God is not a time when we are in need only, and certainly it is an encouragement, but it's every day of our life.
And as we remind ourselves of trusting in God, we remind ourselves that one of the ways we trust in God, one of the ways we show our faith in God is through prayer, which is why we have come together.
Posted in Pastor Devotional