Proverbs 3:5-6 One to Memorize!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

    and lean not on your own understanding;  
in all your ways acknowledge him,

    and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV 1984)

We’ve come to two verses that were among the first I committed to memory 36 years ago, when I first became a Christian. I love that I don’t have to figure everything out myself. God is so much bigger than I am; His ways are so beyond what my puny brain can grasp. So, I’m so grateful for this promise that if I just trust in Him, I can be assured that He WILL guide me and keep my path straight! The Amplified Bible expands on the idea of trusting God:

Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. (Amplified Bible)

We can be confident in God when we know what His character is. This is why studying His Word is so crucial. It reveals just who God was, is, and forever will be. Just thinking about some of His attributes demonstrates that He can be completely trust and relied upon. He is the sovereign, Almighty Creator of the universe; He is self-existent, eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing, and omnipresent. He is good, loving, faithful, compassionate, merciful, patient, and a righteous judge. He is holy, unchanging, and full of Truth.

And what does He promise to be to me? My rock, my Savior, my redeemer, my joy, my Shepherd, my peace, my hiding place, my defense, my refuge, my healer, my victory, my sanctifier, and my Abba Father. He is the Alpha and Omega, so He meets all my needs from A-Z.

Can I trust this God? Of course I can! He always has my best interests at heart! How do I show my trust? I LET GO of all of those things, people, and situations that I am trying to control, and I give them over to Him! I stop trying to manipulate answers to my prayers and trust that He knows what to do better than I do.

I want to share with you a portion of Beth Moore’s study in James. She writes about our need to give up our desire to demand our own will and to submit to God’s will. She presents the following arguments for submission:

• God knows everything about you and every matter concerning you. Nothing is hidden from His sight. So submit to God. 
• He is always looking out for your ultimate good and takes your hurts personally. So submit to God. 
• He is holy and worthy and incapable of abusing His divine authority over you. So submit to God. 
• He knows when your motive was right but your mouth messed up. So submit to God. 
• He knows exactly how to work terrible into good. So submit to God. 
• He loves you completely and unconditionally and will never let you go. So submit to God. 
• He knows the well-deliberated plan for your life and how all things must fall into place for you to fulfill your destiny. So submit to God. 
• He will never put to shame those who trust in Him. So submit to God. 

The Devil is trying to steal from you and destroy you and make it look like it was all your idea. So, Girlfriend, submit to God. (Moore,  James: Mercy Triumphs, P. 143)

I’m so grateful that my God is trustworthy! When I can’t figure it out, I know He already has it handled. I just need to trust and rest and then watch the God of the universe do His thing! Let go and let God. Hallelujah!