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 your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
There is a wonderful promise here in Proverbs. The Lord will make our paths straight if we will trust Him, acknowledge Him and resist the temptation to order our lives around our own reasoning. Most believers know the importance of this verse and even have it memorized. How about you… do you have it memorized? It is easier to quote than walk out on a daily basis. Why? We find ourselves “leaning” the wrong direction!
We are instructed to “lean” on God, to put our full weight upon Him. We lean upon our own understanding when we give our limited knowledge more power than God. A big part of faith is not simply discovering Who to place your faith upon, but letting go of the place where your faith once rested. Most people’s faith is on autopilot. They simply trust and believe because they have seen it work in the past. Someone said, “You go to a doctor whose name you can’t pronounce. He gives you a prescription you cannot read. You take it to a pharmacist you have never seen. He gives you medication you do not understand and yet you take it without question”. We follow these well worn ruts, not even giving them a second thought.
Real spiritual faith cannot simply exist on autopilot. Why? It will be challenged at every turn. Like the analogy above, you will receive words, promises, and instructions from a God you cannot see. This God goes by numerous names which are in Hebrew and Greek… you struggle to pronounce. You are to believe His words, when all the world says different. Not only are you to believe them, you are called to stand firm when everything within you say run, lean on your own understanding! As you stand believing this invisible Lord, an invisible enemy attacks you as you stand on those words… all for no apparent reason. For the most part you are on your own. No one really understands exactly what you’re going through. Still you are called to trust. This is the reality and essence of sincere faith!
