Proverbs 3:5-6 (New Living Translation)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (New International Version)
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (King James Version)
5Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
I use these two verses probably more than any others when I start out my day or am at a crossroads on a decision. I have committed this one to memory, but we are also told to meditate on Scripture. That means breaking it down and practically applying it.
So this is how I break this one down.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
--Am I fully trusting God? Do I truly believe He is able to help me? Is there a piece of my heart that I am allowing to doubt God's power? If so, I need to confess it to Him. There is a verse in the New Testament where a man says to Jesus, "I believe, Lord. Help my unbelief." That is often my prayer. Doubts often creep in unnoticed until we take quiet time to examine our hearts and question ourselves. When we confess our doubts to Him, He is able to strengthen our trust in Him. So often we forget to ask Him for this.
--Could my understanding of a situation be wrong? Might there be another viewpoint? Or could God know more than me about the situation? We are called to use discernment, but ultimately we should not be depending on our intelligence. God's ways are higher than ours. James says we can ask for wisdom and God will give it. Wisdom is different than intelligence. It can only come from God and is needed for us to make right decisions.
Seek His will in all you do
In all your ways submit to Him
In all thy ways acknowledge Him
--This was phrased a different way in each translation. All three encompass what God is asking us to do. Am I seeking His will, not my own? Am I willing to submit to that will in every area? Am I acknowledging Him? I like this word acknowledge. Many of us know what it's like to have someone we know walk past us and not recognize us. Some of us even know what it's like to be deliberately ignored. When someone won't even say hi to you or acknowledge your presence in the room it is hurtful, degrading and arrogant on the other person's part. When we do not acknowledge God with every step we take in life, that is what we are doing to Him. He wants to be noticed and given credit for the things that He does in our lives. We cannot expect Him to give direction if we are not willing to constantly acknowledge Him in everything we do in life.
And He will show you which path to take.
And He will make your paths straight.
And He shall direct thy paths.
--Here is the promise when you follow the first part of these verses: God will show you which path to take and it will be a straight path (although sometimes it feels crooked I think this means He will keep you from falling in the potholes). He will give you a direction to go. He might not show you the end of the road or tell you your destination. That is part of trusting Him. But He will show you the next step to take. It sometimes feels like what it must be like to be blind and have to trust a guide. You can't always see where you are placing your foot, but you are trusting the guide that he is pointing you in the right direction.
What is it that you need to acknowledge God in today? Have you verbally asked for His direction? You will be amazed at the path He will take you down. It could change your life forever.
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