5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take. (ESV)
Proverbs 3:5-6
What and incredible guarantee from the Lord. I heard Pastor James MacDonald from Harvest Bible Chapel teaching on the promises of God. He was discussing the difference between when you and I make a promise and when God makes a promise.
When we promise something to someone, we are essentially saying that we will do everything we can to fulfill the promise that we have made. The problem is, we are subject to changing and often vulnerable circumstances that can interfere with the promise we have made. Sometimes this is a result of our own doing, sometimes it is completely out of our control.
On the other hand; when God makes a promise you can take it to the bank. When God says, "I promise," what he is saying is, "I CAN and I WILL!" That is so comforting!
One thing that we need to recognize about God's promises is, sometimes there are contingencies attached. Other times there are no contingencies and it is important to evaluate God's promises and to observe any attached contingencies to that promise.
When God says through the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:1, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," there is no contingence attached to the promise being stated. You could say that, "being in Christ," is the contingency, but the assumption is that you are already in Christ and therefore will not face condemnation!
Lets look at the Proverb promise now starting with the promise that is being made. The promise is that God will "Show you the path!" Some other bible versions read that God will "make your path straight," or "make your road smooth."
That is an incredible promise. Especially when we face turbulent times, difficult decisions or tragic situations. Its nice to know that we have God who promises to make the "Path Straight" for us. Now, lets look at the contingency attached to the promise. You could almost say, "The Lord will make your path straight, if..."
Look at the first part of this passage. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart." So there is starts. What is the first stipulation if God is to make our path known? We must "TRUST" in the Lord with all our hearts. Its one thing to say we trust God. It is a whole other ball of wax to actually exercise that trust with all our being! How often do we say, "I trust God....BUT."
It is God's calling for us to "TRUST HIM," NO BUTS! What does that look like in our lives? It looks like this. "I've lost my job, I Trust God!" "My marriage is a wreck, I Trust God!" We are about to lose our house, I TRUST GOD!" "My kids are driving me nuts, I TRUST GOD!" "I don't have enough time or money to give it to the Lord, I TRUST GOD!" "I am sick, I TRUST GOD!" "I (fill in the blank), I TRUST GOD!" Trust the Lord with all your heart.
Part two of the contingency to this promise is, "do not depend on your own understanding." The minute we become dependent on our own understanding is the minute that we become blind to the fulness and goodness of God's will! See, we are finite creatures and have limitations that our infinite God does not have. God has infinite understanding and zero limitations. Romans 11:34 says, "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?"
That doesn't imply that we cease to grow in the, "Wisdom and knowledge of God." On the contrary! The Apostle Peter tells us, "Continue to grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ." We must grow in God's knowledge provided to us through and in His Word! Become dependent on His understanding and dependent on what He has revealed to us through scripture! Always remember, we only see part of the picture, but God sees the whole thing!
Next is one of the most important things we can do as believers in Jesus Christ and as children of God. "Seek His will in all you do." Another version says, "In all your ways, acknowledge Him." Do you do that? I fall short here more than I would like to admit! God calls us to acknowledge Him in EVERYTHING we do and to seek His will...
Similar to the, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart" statement, this can be easier said than done. We must acknowledge God in every aspect of our lives. "I lost my job, I know God has a plan and I know His will is good!" "My marriage is falling apart, I know God cares about my marriage and I will seek His will, not my own, He is in control," "I have been devastated with illness in my life, God is my healer and great physician and in my suffering I will become more dependent on Him every day!" I think you get the idea. In all your ways, "Acknowledge God!"
We have access to an infallible promise from God to have the path in our troubles, our hardships, our trials, our suffering, our confusion and our blindness be made known and smooth. It is important to understand that doesn't mean that the trials won't continue, but it does mean that God will give you wisdom, guidance, power and a peace beyond comprehension in those times.
How truly blessed we are to have such a great God!
One more note: Acknowledging God in all our ways and trusting Him with all our hearts requires a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. God has revealed Himself and His glory through His Son's life, death and resurrection. To deny Christ is to deny God.
"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. and the For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." (NIV)
Romans 10:9
