Trust in the LORD

​Proverbs 3:5-6 ~ “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.”
 
It has been said that trust is an earned response to faithful behavior. That is to say, in order to gain trust you must earn trust and in order to earn trust you must prove yourself trustworthy. Very few lavish trust upon another without some concept of that person’s ability to prove themselves. You would never trust a person to build a house who has never even shown themselves capable of swinging a hammer. So, let us beg the question in this, has God the LORD shown Himself worthy of trust? The answer, of course, is a resounding “YES,” but let us gaze upon the evidence.
 
God has created all things. There is not one atom of this universe that is outside of His Divine hand. He has made it and He sustains it. God is all-powerful and can do all things well. The wisdom and might that it required to cast the universe into existence and maintain it can only come from God. There is nothing outside of His capability—He is trustworthy in this. And God is Supremely loving. Toward wretched and rebellious sinners, the LORD has given His offer of mercy and pardon. Not only that, He took upon Himself in Christ the very punishment that we deserved. God’s love is completely trustworthy. And in light of this we read in Psalm 62:11-12, “Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God, and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love.”
 
We come to the opening of our text today and read: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” How many doubts afflict us in our narrow understanding of all that there is? We are plagued by information coming from the world that may or may not be accurate. Perhaps we think we possess a greater wisdom and would prefer to listen to our own hearts. Yet, in Jeremiah 17:9 we read, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Like a walking stick made of broken reeds, we lean on our own understanding with tenuous results. We cannot understand the end from the beginning, we do not know the outcomes of every possible choice that we could potentially make. God, however, sees the end from the beginning (see Isaiah 46:10).
 
So, then, how do we trust in the LORD? Simple, we look to His revealed word. He has provided for us a clear and concise manifesto for life. The Scriptures teach us who God is, reveal the way of salvation, guide us in proper decisions, express God’s wrath against sin and His discipline toward His children. The Holy Bible is the very utterance of the Almighty and we will do well to trust it. I would encourage you to read Psalm 19. Consider verse 11 of that text, “Moreover, by them [God’s word] is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.” And this trust we place in the LORD is with our whole heart. Do not give Him half-hearted devotion and trust. It does require faith to trust the LORD completely. You cannot see nor can you weigh the outcome of obedience to Christ, so you must take Him at His word and do as He commands.
 
And, with such a trust in the LORD, let us consider the second half of our text today: “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” At every crossroad, with every dilemma, will you acknowledge Him? Not merely acknowledge His existence in your life, or even His presence on your journey. In every way you choose, does His will come into your decision-making process? We tend to walk upon crooked paths in life, suffering the anguish of sin’s dreadful consequences because we failed to acknowledge the LORD in a particular way we determined to go. We sought our own pleasure, or trusted our own pride and then, suddenly, the way became dark and twisted. James 3:14-15 describes the wisdom that is not from God, “But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.” What a crooked road indeed.
 
But God will make our paths straight. He has the wisdom to lead us along the way that is best. It may not be the easiest way, nor will it be the most pleasurable way on many occasions, and it will never lead us along a path that elevates our own hubris. But consider the words of David in Psalm 23:4, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
 
Beloved, let us walk along the path that God has provided. Let us trust Him and lean on His wisdom. There is hope and joy with the LORD—and His straight way will lead us to His promised end.
 
In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

---