Proverbs 3:5-6. 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6 is one of the best known and most loved of all the scriptures. For many Christians it’s their “life verse.” You can find it on mugs, art work, and screensavers. Some commentators have even called it a summation of the entire Bible – Trust God, and he will bring you home.
But how many Christians are struggling to simply trust God? Fear of the unknown grips our hearts. Each day we are confronted with circumstances that are beyond our full understanding or control. Each day it seems we only see more suffering. More injustice. More division. More violence. And each day we face new or ongoing personal crises that seek to rob us of our faith in God. It doesn’t take much before we’ve naturally shifted into hopelessness or self-preservation as we desperately try to gain a level of understanding and control in the midst of the unknown and the uncontrollable.
But what God wants us all to know is that we were never meant to be in control. And yet, at the same time, we were never meant to live in fear. We were made to trust in the LORD. In the midst of all that would drive us deeper into fear, wisdom says that we can know the One who is in control of all things. And so we must fight to not let Proverbs 3:5-6 become simply a slogan on a mug. But rather we must let each inspired phrase overwhelm our souls:
Trust – from a Hebrew word that means “to lay down.” Can you lay your life down in front of God, allowing him to be your king?
in the LORD – the covenant name of God. Do you believe that God has made promises to you that he will never break?
with all your heart – your whole being. Can you trust God with everything you’ve got?
and do not lean on your own understanding. Can you admit that your understanding of this life is infinitely less than God’s?
In all your ways acknowledge [know] him. Is knowing God your greatest aim in life?
he will make straight your paths. Have the obstacles of fear and doubt been removed by his perfect love.
Yes, this sounds amazing, and who wouldn’t want this kind of life? A life without the fears of this world. The fear of death. The fear of loneliness. The fear of loss. The fear of pain. The fear of sorrow. But how? How can we trust God when he allows the world to crash down around us and sometimes on us? How can we trust a God who seems silent in our pain and sorrow? Who leaves us in the darkness?
We can trust in the LORD in the darkness, in the silence, and in the pain, when we trust that God is actually IN the darkness, the silence, and the pain.
Jesus Christ, the LORD, experienced our same darkness, silence, and pain. At the cross, God the Father removed his light, withheld his voice, and crushed his son. And on the cross God the Son, took the silent wrath of God’s darkness upon and into himself. All so that we would never have to. All so that no matter how fearful this life becomes; we never have to be afraid. We can trust the LORD with all our heart.
“To live is Christ” means the path to God is clear. And when every obstacle is removed, there is nothing left to fear, and only trust remains.
You
What do you fear of today? What are you trusting in?
You in Christ
How does knowing that Jesus is your clear path to God allow you to trust God in all your ways today?
Christ in you
Where is Christ asking you to trust him today?
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Playlist: Trust In The Lord.
Click Here to listen to this playlist on Spotify!
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To Live is Christ 