Trust in the Lord

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Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)

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.

 

Devotion:

            These words may be familiar to us. However, we need to look more closely at their meaning to learn to live in a way that pleases God. Just on a surface level, though, how many of us can claim to trust God with our all our hearts. This is easier read than done. We constantly make decisions about our lives without checking with God first to see if what we are considering doing is really in line with his will. I know that I am forever getting in trouble because I run ahead of what the Lord would have me do. I personally like to lean on my own understanding, and I bet you do as well. It is human nature to behave in this way.

            We need to learn to let go of our impulsive nature and learn the contemplative nature we need to truly rely on God. We need to believe that God will provide for our needs, protect us from all harm, and stand by us in the fiercest trials. We need to know that God’s thoughts are far above our thoughts, and we can rely on him for guidance in all situations. If we want to be led beside the still waters as in Psalm 23, we must learn to lean on God.

            If we can learn to be let in all our ways God promises us that he will make all our paths straight. When we rely on our own sense of direction, we often become lost, or we discover that we are traveling in circles, and we are making no progress in our lives. We must learn to trust the Lord. This is a hard thing for us in our culture to do. We have come to trust on so many man made devices and programs. We seldom go outside without consulting our weather app on our phones. We rely on our phones and other computers for myriads of tasks. (Such as writing this devotional.) It takes quite a lot of effort in our culture to learn to trust in God and to acknowledge him in all our ways.

            Letting God lead us, as sheep follow a shepherd, takes time and practice. When we stray, we have God’s assurance that he will come and find us and bring us back to the flock while rejoicing over us as he gently carries us back. Learning to rely on God with our whole heart will take time and practice but we can be assured that only good things will come from our efforts in these areas. Let us pray for God’s help.

            Prayer:

            Lord God we confess that we are often guilty of relying not on you but on our own ways. Teach us to relax and depend on your care for our present lives and on our future in heaven with you. Lead us Lord whether beside still waters or the valley of the shadow of death. You are more than capable to be our guide wherever life’s journey takes us. Teach us to walk with you our true shepherd at all times. That our lives may bring you glory. Amen.

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