“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.”

(Proverbs 3:5-6)

 

If you’ve ever visited my office, you’ll see this verse on my wall.
It’s the first thing I see when I open my door each work day.
That’s no mistake.
I really believe this is the most simple and most difficult thing we are called to do as followers of Christ.
And for me, it’s something I need to be reminded of daily.

Trust in God.  

But this verse doesn’t just say trust in God but trust in God and NOT in myself.
“Lean not on your own understanding.”
I love the way the paraphrase Bible “the Message” says this verse: “don’t try to figure everything out on your own.”
Oh man.
That’s so hard.
I like to put my trust in a lot of other things besides God: friends, family, doctors, nurses, teachers, preachers, my own health, technology, money, stuff…
And they will all fail.
Even ourselves.
We want to trust ourselves more than anything.
I think I know everything.
I want to believe I have all the answers, that I can do it myself, that the way I see the world is the right way.
But it’s not.
God calls us to put our trust in God first.
So what does that look like, exactly?
“in all your ways acknowledge him”
Here’s where knowing a little Hebrew gets fun.
The word “ways” can also be translated as paths, journey, or course of life.
The word “acknowledge” can also be translated as perceive, find, recognize, or discern.
That changes this verse so much for me:

In all your paths find God.
Recognize God on your course of life.
Discern God as you journey.

We already know God is with us, that God doesn’t leave us.
But sometimes we’re like those horses with blinders.
We are so stuck looking one way (our way) that we forget to look for God. We forget to trust God.  God is there. We just … miss him.    

Lastly, this verse ends with a promise “God shall direct your paths”
Again, the Hebrew here makes this promise even more significant – because direct can also be translated as make smooth, or straighten, or lead.
When we put our trust in God, when we stop relying on things that inevitably fail us or let us down, God makes whatever journey we are on straight.
When we decide to do the impossible, to take off the blinders of the way we think things should be, God is there, leading us with love.
It doesn’t mean all the bumps in the road go away, but it does mean God is helping us navigate them.  And God is bigger than any bump or curve or detour our paths might take us on.  

So try it.
Put this verse where you need to see it.
Let it be a daily reminder to look for God in your world and trust that God is with you, loving you, and leading you on your way.

Amen.

Need inspiration for getting this verse in front of you?  Google Images is always a great place to start, or create your own. Take a picture and tag me on fbook or instagram!