Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths. Proverb 3:5-6
So many times we all wish we had a gift to peer into the future. All men desire that gift so they can live their life accordingly. We say that we would then be able to avoid the pitfalls, and be more prepared when we do catch up to our future. We claim this gift would help us make the right choices now. Truth is, if GOD gave us a gift to see the future outright, then we would inevitably take things into our own hands instead of calling upon Him to help guide us. If we knew the future, then He would not expect us to live by faith, yet true salvation for us can only come by faith in Him. It is this faith we need so God will direct our path in a way that our life will Glorify Him, instead of glorifying ourselves.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart,” The desire to take things into our own hands can become very strong at times. Many times I see GOD leading me into a storm and my mind tells me to grab the rudder to steer around it. Yet if I am truly trusting in GOD, then I am listening to HIS voice in my heart that tells me to give it to HIM. When I do, I feel comfortable knowing HE’s in control.
Ever notice that when you allow God to control things, that by the time you get to where the storm was, it’s calm. That’s because sometimes GOD will take you to a place your brain thinks will be a storm, when in fact it’s the one place you will be safe. Then you think, “WOW, thanks GOD. Had I taken the path that seemed better, it would have been disastrous.” That being said, there are also times when GOD will save us from our own stupid self by bringing us into the storm that will inevitably make us stronger and more prepared for Him to use us one day in the future. Often times it’s those storms in life that builds our character and makes us more useful to Him. Had we seen the future, we may have been on the watch to avoid the pain that in reality became an important lesson in our life.
I thank GOD HE knows the future, and I don’t, because without Him in control my choices are usually wrong. The flesh is a controlling deceiving creature. Through the years, I have learned from my own trials and tribulations, that the Scriptures are always correct. To truly trust in the LORD is love HIM with all our heart, soul, and mind, (Matthew 22:37) because when we put our faith in our own heart and brain, then we are leaning on our own understanding, and not HIS.
“Lean not on our understanding.” Ever get into a pickle, or something terrible happens and your mind starts thinking,
I can’t understand why God allowed this to happen to me?”
People are always trying to second guess GOD by trying to understand all His ways. We should be happy that HE only calls us to trust and have faith HIM and not to understand. If we knew half the trials and tribulations that were in store for us, many of us would be no different than the Israelites who perished in the desert due to their lack of faith.
Imagine if Moses tried to get the Israelites to understand that GOD was going to take them to the shore of the Red Sea, while being chased in the desert by Pharaoh’s army? Then your told, it will be OK, because GOD is going part the waters for us and we will walk across an underwater sand bridge HE has been preparing for us for over a thousand years. OH, and don’t worry about Pharaoh’s s army, because GOD is going to drown them in the same sea you will be walking across. I doubt many would have followed him out of Egypt, even after all the miracles they saw. Many times the Israelite’s questioned Moses and grieved God as they traveled through the desert for 40 years. (Psalms 95:9-11) Sadly only two men from that generation had the faith of a mustard seed. (Numbers 26:65) The rest were buried in the desert and never saw the promised land.
Our understanding is so limited, and based only on what we know, which is more times than not very faulty. Our understanding is similar to that of those on the Titanic. All they saw was a small iceberg floating in the water. They had no clue that small iceberg was but 5% of what they hit. Even today, men see the temperatures rise and they claim the world is at an end. No matter how smart and educated men get, they still ignore GOD by leaning on their own understanding, by refusing to even acknowledge GOD. History is chalk full of men GOD made fools out of because they refused to give HIM the glory for their accomplishment.
All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of the twelve months he was walking about
the royal palace of Babylon. The king spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have
built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?” While the
word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven: “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you
it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! And they shall drive you from men, and
your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen;
and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom
of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.” That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning
Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew
of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.
(Daniel 4:28-33)
“Always remember to acknowledge GOD”, and to turn everything over to Him during the day as situations arise. Learn to look to Him for guidance, and “He shall direct your path.” Have faith in the One who created you, and HE will direct your steps through the world He expects you to live in. Proverb 16:9 Remember, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 So lean not on your own understanding, but lean on Him and He shall direct your path.
When we give HIM control, “He shall direct our paths.” After all, HE is the one who knows the end and has since the beginning of time. HE knows when we will succeed, when we will fail, when we fall in love, and when we will be confronted by tragedies that could break our spirit. This should give us all the confidence we need to boldly move forward, because if we truly have faith and follow HIS direction, then we can know it’s the right path. Oh it may not be the easiest path, but it will lead us to the goals HE wants us to reach and thus the blessings HE has waiting for those of us who are good and faithful servants. After all, we all want to hear HIM say to us one day, “Well done good and faithful servant, enter into joy of the LORD and my rest.” (Matthew 25:23; Hebrews 4:11)
As evil as the world is, and always has been, we need proper direction and that direction can only come from God. Being in the world without God as your guide is like being out on the ocean without a compass or on land in a white out snow storm. In your life I know you have seen many who have had to go back to square one, because of the bad choices in their life. As a young man I myself was a stubborn as a billy goat as I continuously kept kicking at the goads. I would trudge along until I finally hit a wall, just to ultimately awake to the fact that my way had again lead me to nowhere.
Like I was at one time, there are way too many men and women just sailing along on a course they know not where it will end. They may seem happy and content, but eventually the path they are on will only take them into circles until they end up right where they began. The problem is they are in control, and they are proud of it. Truth is, unless His hand is on the wheel, one’s end will be sadness and despair. Even if they get through this life, their end will be a separation from God forever. Many a soul will be singing, “I did it my way,” all the way to hell.
I pray that those who have ears to hear will hear His voice and call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Proverbs 3(NKJV)
01 My son, do not forget my law,
00 But let your heart keep my commands;
02 For length of days and long life
00 And peace they will add to you.03 Let not mercy and truth forsake you;
00 Bind them around your neck,
00 Write them on the tablet of your heart,
04 And so find favor and high esteem
00 In the sight of God and man.05 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
00 And lean not on your own understanding;
06 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
00 And He shall direct your paths.07 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
00 Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
08 It will be health to your flesh,
00 And strength to your bones.09 Honor the LORD with your possessions,
00 And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
10 So your barns will be filled with plenty,
00 And your vats will overflow with new wine.11 My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD,
00 Nor detest His correction;
12 For whom the LORD loves He corrects,
00 Just as a father the son in whom he delights.13 Happy is the man who finds wisdom,
00 And the man who gains understanding;
14 For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver,
00 And her gain than fine gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies,
00 And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.
16 Length of days is in her right hand,
00 In her left hand riches and honor.
17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
00 And all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,
00 And happy are all who retain her.19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth;
00 By understanding He established the heavens;
20 By His knowledge the depths were broken up,
00 And clouds drop down the dew.21 My son, let them not depart from your eyes–
00 Keep sound wisdom and discretion;
22 So they will be life to your soul
00 And grace to your neck.
23 Then you will walk safely in your way,
00 And your foot will not stumble.
24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
00 Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.
25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror,
00 Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes;
26 For the LORD will be your confidence,
00 And will keep your foot from being caught.27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
00 When it is in the power of your hand to do so.
28 Do not say to your neighbor,
00 “Go, and come back,
00 And tomorrow I will give it,”
00 When you have it with you.
29 Do not devise evil against your neighbor,
00 For he dwells by you for safety’s sake.
30 Do not strive with a man without cause,
00 If he has done you no harm.31 Do not envy the oppressor,
00 And choose none of his ways;
32 For the perverse person is an abomination to the LORD,
00 But His secret counsel is with the upright.
33 The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked,
00 But He blesses the home of the just.
34 Surely He scorns the scornful,
00 But gives grace to the humble.
35 The wise shall inherit glory,
00 But shame shall be the legacy of fools.
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