Proverbs 3:5–8 (NKJV) 5Trust
in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding; 6In all your ways
acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. 7Do not be wise in
your own eyes; Fear the Lord and
depart from evil. 8It will be
health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.
Solomon’s
challenge here is to “Trust in the Lord”. This trust is characterized by total
commitment in the phrase “with all your heart.”
When I am trusting God I am not reliant on my own wisdom, I don’t “lean
on my own understanding.” Rather, I become
fully reliant on God “acknowledging Him” and choosing to do what is pleasing to
God. Our own pride causes us to “be wise
in our own eyes.” Yet, when I “fear the
Lord” I will quit my sinful ways and turn to following His plan for my life. Solomon here is calling for us to live in
absolute obedience and surrender in every area of our lives. Then we experience the
“straight paths” or “directed Paths” which are in opposition to the crooked
ways of the wicked or perverse.
I cannot try to live my life half for my own desires and half trusting
in the Lord. I have to get the same
attitude as the psalmist in Psalm 119:113 (ESV) “113I hate the double-minded, but I love
your law.” Christ challenged us with
this in Matthew 6:24 (ESV) “24“No one can serve two masters, for
either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the
one and despise the other.” And then
again in Mark 12:30 (ESV) “30And you shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all
your strength.’
The wise person is characterized by continuous contemplation of God and
a ready observance of his will, not only in the great issues of life but also
in day-to-day routine. No matter is too small for God’s attention. To
paraphrase one commentator, it is self-idolatry to think we can carry on even
the most ordinary matters without his counsel.[1]
The final challenge in these verses is to “Fear the Lord and depart from
evil.” To revere the Lord and avoid evil
gives us a second contrast between our human wisdom and God’s wisdom. Unfortunately, when many people seek counsel
they go and find counselors who will tell them what they want to hear. It is rare to find individuals who will seek
out counsel based upon the principles of God’s Word.
But for
those who will be follow God’s desire and fear Him they are promised: God’s
direction, health, and strength. How
many miss out on these blessing because they will not be obedient?
May your
life be one that is characterized as “Trusting in the Lord!”
The video version of this is available at www.youtube.com/user/churchoflittleton FW # 58
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