Mission Venture Ministries

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Many times Christians pray and read the Scriptures; they know what God is telling them to do, but sometimes they hesitate. His will for our life often looks like that long, steep hill, and the thought of climbing it is worrisome because we don’t have the assurance of how to manage it. But halfhearted trust always gets us into trouble.

Nevertheless, think what we will miss if we choose our own way instead of walking with the Lord. All the wonderful things He’s planned for our lives will be forfeited. Though the ride may get a little rough at times, we should remember that we don’t know how it’s all going to work out but our heavenly Father does. So who will we trust, Him or us?

We know what God is telling us to do, but sometimes we hesitate. That’s why we need a verse to anchor us when we’re tempted to distrust the Lord and go about doing it in our own way. Proverbs 3:5-6 has been my anchor verse for many years: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

Whenever we have an important decision to make, we need to remember and come back to this passage. It helps us remember what’s required of a disciple of Christ. A disciple is a pupil who follows his teacher’s instruction. But the goal isn’t simply to fill our minds with information; it’s to become more like our Teacher.

For the Christian, discipleship is a lifelong process of being transformed into the image of Christ and walking in obedience. He gradually teaches us and leads us in the direction He wants us to go. That’s why Proverbs 3:5-6 is such a trustworthy guide. It contains foundational principles that tell us exactly how to stay on track.

A disciple trusts the Lord. Just consider this: Who has more knowledge, you or the omniscient Lord? Who knows the past, present, and future? Why in the world would we rely on our own limited comprehension when God understands everything about us and knows what’s waiting around the corner? He sees every segment of our lives and will faithfully guide us along the best path if we’ll just trust and follow Him with all our heart.

Trust in God leads to submission, because we recognize that He has the right to direct every step we take. That’s why Proverbs 3:6 tells us to acknowledge the Lord in all our ways. We can’t pick and choose the times we’ll submit to His authority and expect to stay on a right path. When we’re not in the center of His will, we stumble around and encounter obstacles. Not only do we end up wasting time and energy, but the journey is also more difficult.

God’s path isn’t necessarily easy, but it’s always the best. Even the difficulties we encounter fit into His plan because they teach us to trust Him.

The Lord wants us to realize that He is the supreme, omnipotent Ruler of the universe, who is capable, ready, and willing to deal with every situation. Another verse that has repeatedly reassured the born again believer of His watchful care is Psalm 138:8: “The Lord will accomplish what concerns me.” The only way to have peace in any situation is to trust the Lord and let Him lead, knowing that He’s always working for our best interests.

Trust in God leads to submission, because we recognize that He has the right to direct every step we take.

A disciple accepts the Lord’s discipline. If we’re going to let God direct our path, we’ll also experience His loving discipline. Think of it not as punishment but rather as correction. He sees when we’ve gone astray and loves us too much to let us continue down that path. Discipline is necessary because without an incentive to change course, we’ll miss the blessings that result from following Him.

When discipline comes, we generally respond in one of two ways, we either rebel against it or embrace it. Proverbs 3:11-12 says, “My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord or loathe His reproof, for whom the Lord loves He reproves, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.” If we choose to see our troubles from this perspective, our moaning and complaining will become praise and gratitude to God.

As Christians we might say, “Lord, I don’t understand why this is happening. It’s painful, and I don’t like it. But I know that You are wiser than I am, so I’m going to thank You for loving me enough to correct me.” The most important thing is that when we do this, we end up in the center of God’s will and can accomplish what He wants us to do, according to His timetable.

Therefore, let Proverbs 3:5-6 become an anchor verse in your life. It will encourage you to let God lead you according to His perfect will. Thus, when He asks you to do something that seems beyond your abilities, decide to trust Him, and say, “Okay, Lord, I am trusting in You!”

Always remember that the moments we trust God are going to be the most exciting of our life because we know that He has be best for us.

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