"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
This is a verse many of us have heard or memorized when we were younger. It is easy to riddle it off by heart or see it plastered on a canvas and simply think to ourselves about how sweet or comforting it is. But this verse goes much deeper than we like to think.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart"
Have you ever done anything with all your heart? I think of when someone says "I love you with all my heart" you know it is real. There is nothing divided or leftover for someone else. There is no confusion about to whom your heart belongs. There are no reservations or concerns about if it will get broken or mistreated. It is with all your heart. Trusting in God is putting on a blindfold and telling him to lead you wherever, whenever, and here is the major key: trusting him to do so WITH ALL YOUR HEART.
Matthew 10:29-31 "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Your Father cares for you and he has plans to use you for his purpose, don't be afraid, trust him will all your heart.
"lean not on your own understanding"
It is so easy for us to fall into believing the lie that we can do this on our own. We may think we are smart, logical, or wise, in making decisions. However, even the right choice can be the wrong one, if made for the wrong reasons. We can try and be perfect and make good decisions, but if they aren't directed by God, then we are leaning on our own understanding. My understanding comes from the knowledge I've accumulated in the past 20 years of life. God's understanding doesn't even fit on a scale, He is God. When we lean on our own understanding, not only are we telling God that we think we know the right answer without him, we are also not trusting him at all, let alone with our whole hearts.
"in all your ways acknowledge him"
Acknowledge him always, not just on Sunday mornings. Acknowledge him when you succeed, acknowledge him when you don't. Acknowledge him with your family, acknowledge him with your friends. Acknowledge when you are happy, sad, hurting, lonely, joyful, or afraid. In all your ways, whatever you do, wherever you go, acknowledge him. Acknowledge more than just his presence, but his omnipotence and authority.
"and he will make your paths straight."
When we trust in the Lord with all of our hearts and lean on his understanding; acknowledge him in all that we do, he will make our paths straight. He will bring us to the desired goals we have, which ultimately, should make us more like Christ.
