Mid-Week Encouragement

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” –Proverbs 3:5-6





Trust in the Lord



Many times we get anxious about things in our life. We are unsure why we are in the place we are and what God is up to. We think two ways: when times are bad, we think we have brought it upon ourselves or we think we have earned what we get when times are good. Both ways of thinking fail to acknowledge God by not recognizing you are where you are because He, before you were even created, planned it this way. Not that we always do this, but the temptation to acknowledge ourselves is always there and sometimes we give into that lie.

Notice that this verse begins by telling us to trust in the Lord with ALL our heart while not leaning on our own understanding. If we are going to understand the rest of this simple proverb we must have our trust completely in the Lord and in Christ. If we blame ourselves or take credit for ourselves we aren’t fully trusting in God’s control over all of creation. Ironically, when we blame God for things, we acknowledge Him more than when we blame ourselves. Remember what God said to his prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 55:8, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.” Everything about God is on a level far above us. God is infinite, all knowing, all powerful, faithful, loving, just, unchanging, self-sufficient, and holy whereas, we are limited (finite), unfaithful, unloving, unjust, constantly changing, totally dependent upon something outside ourselves, and unholy sinners. However, by his grace He sent his son to us as a means to know and acknowledge him. While He may be far above us, we can have an intimate relationship with Him through Christ our mediator. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 reminds us “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all…”

By placing our trust completely in Him and not ourselves, we can acknowledge that He is God and what is happening in our lives is all in His hands. Not only can we gain insight as to what is happening right now, He will guide us into tomorrow. This passage in Proverbs says that He will “make straight our paths.” God declared to the prophet Jeremiah that He knows our plans (Jeremiah 29:11) and we can find comfort in those plans when we have comfort in Christ. We can live out the plans God has for us with confidence (whether good times or bad) and we can give Him all the glory (whether good times or bad). The bottom line is finding encouragement in the truths of the gospel and applying it to our everyday lives. Be encouraged by finding your identity in Christ.