Trust in the Lord

-

 


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.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Welcoming the Unwelcome

-
  Scripture: Luke 7:36-38 (NIV) 36  When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37  A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38  As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and poured perfume on them. Devotion:             First of all, some warnings to my readers. This post will exceed the 500 words I try to limit my posts. Second, this post will contain content people may find offensive or otherwise unfit for print. Please understand that my purpose is neither to offend nor upset but to provoke thought and, hopefully, respectful dialog.             We will use Luke chapter seven as an aid to interpreting the events that occurred last Thursday at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. On that da
Read more

Father Forgive Them

-
  Scripture: Luke 23:33-34 (ESV) 33  And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34  And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Devotion:             The situation Jesus finds himself in here in today’s scripture is difficult for us to even imagine. A sham trial, no credible accusations of any kind, let alone any deserving of death, and yet here he is. A brilliant Rabbi, a teacher of the people who never led even one person astray from God’s will. This Holy One of God soon to be food for vultures.             This man who had done nothing wrong had no one in all the crowds who would speak up in his defense lest they be next to face the cross. An innocent man hung between two scoundrels. No voice from heaven declaring that this was the man that they were killing was actually the true Son of God. (See Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5, John 12:28) No the heaven
Read more

Transgenderism letter

-
  This is a copy of my letter to my senators, representative, and President Biden. January 15, 2024 Dear President Biden, Senators T. Duckworth, R. Durbin, and Representative D. LaHood             I am writing to you because I am concerned about the situation affecting our children and grandchildren, namely transitioning them from one gender to another. This nation must adjust course concerning these “interventions” because they are dangerous, irreversible, and life-changing. Our country should not be permitting these procedures on minor children under any circumstances. We must also make sure that adults who seek this care are given informed consent as to the risks versus benefits of sex reassignment treatments.             There are many drawbacks to gender-affirming care for minors. Besides the loss of any ability to give or receive sexual pleasure and sterility these treatments cause, there are social and psychological effects that we have no way of identifying because these
Read more