“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 3:5-6
There are two ways people live their lives as they pass through this world – either remembering God or forgetting Him. They either acknowledge His presence and live their lives in dependence on Him, or they pay no attention to His claims on them and live a life on the basis of their own understanding and abilities. The worst tragedy and cruelest deception is the man who says feebly with his lips, “I trust God,” but an examination of his calendar and checkbook shows no difference between him and the man who does not even make that claim. The question we must ask ourselves today is, “Do we trust God?”
The very nature of this question produces two possible meanings: First – “Can you ‘trust’ God?” That is, is He trustworthy? Can He handle the decisions and the problems in your life? Secondly – “Can ‘you’ trust God?” That is, do you have the ability to trust Him?
These verses reveal some important things about trusting God:
The matter of trust is an all or nothing thing. Notice how many times the word “all” is used.
The command to trust precedes the promise. Blessing comes after trust is expressed.
The promise is conditional. Unlike many of the unconditional promises in the Bible, this promise of direction is given only to those who exercise trust in God.
Prayer Focus: Pray that our congregation’s faith and trust in God will grow. Pray that we will allow God to be in control and that we will utterly depend on Him and desire that His will be done. Pray that the fruits of our deepened trust in Him will result in guidance from Him. Ask God to identify an area of your life where you need to yield to Him. Give it to Him and then look for His direction.
