Do you know this bible verse?
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.”
It’s one of the bible’s better known verses from Proverbs 3:5. And it appears in the context of acquiring all the wisdom that God and his world have to offer.
I wonder how many of us, if we’re completely honest, read that verse with these caveats:
”Trust in the Lord with all your heart, (except for that REALLY lovely thing that you’re coveting, because, hey, we all need some bling) and lean not on your own understanding (oh, well, except for when you’ve been through something that nobody else could possibly understand, in which case, lean heavily on your own understanding.)” It’s a constant challenge, to trust in the Lord with ALL your heart. I think most of us happily trust in the Lord with SOME of our heart. We trust Him to eventually heal us of our coughs and colds. We trust Him to help us make it through that challenging day. We trust Him to help us find our way when we’re lost.
But to trust him with ‘all’ is a different matter, because it takes ALL control away from us. Not only do we have to trust someone else to oversee our lives, but neither can we choose which things we entrust to God, and which things we keep hold of ourselves.
Sometimes we don’t trust God with all of our heart to deal justly with that person who has hurt us. Sometimes we trust God that He is just, but only when we agree with what his justice looks like. Other times we do trust God, but with conditions: “God, I trust you to number my days, as long as I live to 90.”
“Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart…”
To trust in the Lord with ALL your heart means to trust Him with your everything. Your thoughts. Your decisions. Your home. Your family relationships. Your enemies. Your failings. Your sin. Your dreams. Your career. Your superannuation balance. Your IQ. Your daily to-do list. Your mental illness. Your family members’ mental illness. Your daily schedule. Your days on earth. Your reputation. Your paycheck. Your injuries. Your wounds. Your history. Your future. And the list goes on…
“Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” – Proverbs 3:5
Kylie Maddox Pidgeon