Reader, the verse the Lord brought to my mind this week is found in Proverbs 3:5. This verse says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” You may have seen this verse on a pillow, a refrigerator magnet, a bumper sticker, a coaster, or a coffee cup. Why? Because this verse is well-known. Why is this verse well-known? Perhaps, one reason is because it calls followers of Christ to action: trust the Lord with all our heart. This action is a crucial part of our walk with the Lord, and yet, it is one that, as Christ followers, we struggle to do completely.
To gain an understanding of why we struggle with trusting the Lord completely, first let us gain an understanding of the meaning of trust. The word trust means, “to rely on the truthfulness or accuracy of: believe; to place confidence in: rely on; to hope or expect confidently.” Notice how “rely” and “confidence” show up twice in the definition. Is there a point in our lives where we have this kind of trust in someone? The time in all our lives which comes to mind is when we were babies and toddlers. Babies and toddlers rely on their caretakers to care for them, and they have confidence in them. They trust their caretakers will feed them, clothe them, give them shelter, protect them, and love them always.
Since babies and toddlers exhibit complete trust with their earthly caretakers, how much more should we, as Christ followers, do so with the Ultimate Caretaker? Perhaps, you think trusting the Lord the way babies and toddlers can with their caretakers is a nice idea, but it is difficult given what you are currently walking through. You would be right; it is not easy. Yet, the Lord requires all Christ followers (young and old) to trust Him completely.
How can we trust the Lord completely even when our flesh does not want to do so? There is a difference between saying, “Lord, I trust you,” and living our lives as though we really trust Him. One clue into whether you trust God fully is if there is an area in your life where you say you surrendered it to Him, but you still hold on to it and try to handle it yourself.
The verse does not end with our need to trust the Lord completely. The back half of the verse calls us not to rely on our understanding. Once we leave our baby and toddler years, and become older and older, our tendency is to trust our own understanding. There are various reasons as to why this happens; regardless, an underlying reason has to do with our desire for independence. To trust someone means you are having to rely on them for something instead of relying on yourself.
God wants us to rely on Him for all we need. What do we tend to do when what we feel we need now has not yet been provided? Have you ever asked God, “why?” We ask this question when He is telling us to wait, to rest, to be still, or to be patient? We even ask this when He is calling us out of our comfort zone. In our lives, there will be times the Lord will tell us why; and other times, He will not reveal it until weeks, months, years later, or when you are in eternity with Him. Whenever or however God chooses to answer our why questions, can we trust He knows what is best for us?
What happens when we trust God? Let us close with Proverbs 3:6, which says, “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Whether we understand why the Lord is allowing us to walk through something or not, it is vital we turn to God and trust Him. During life’s highs, trust Him. In life’s lows, trust Him. In waiting, and in pain trust Him. Trusting the Lord is a choice and it is a daily one we must make, for when we do, He opens our eyes to another piece of the path we should go down in our journey of following Him. So, reader, will you make the choice to trust the Lord completely?
All Bible verses are from Holy Bible: English Standard Version