Proverbs 3:5-6 ‘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.’

DAILY READING: John 12:27-50, 2 Chronicles 16-17, Psalm 78:1-20

Sometime ago, there was a humorous story in the news of an elderly woman who mistook someone else’s car to be her own. According to the story, the woman had finished shopping and returned to her car only to find four men inside the car. She dropped her shopping bags, drew a handgun, and screamed, “I have a gun, and I know how to use it! Get out of the car!”

Those men did not wait for a second invitation; they got out and ran like crazy. The woman, somewhat shaken, loaded her shopping bags and then got into the car. But no matter how she tried, she could not get her key into the ignition. Then it dawned on her: her car was parked four or five spaces away!

She loaded her grocery bags into her own car and then drove to the police station to turn herself in. The desk sergeant to whom she told the story nearly fell off his chair laughing.

He pointed to the other end of the counter, where four men were reporting a carjacking by an old woman with thick glasses and curly white hair, less than five feet tall, and carrying a large handgun. No charges were filed.

Though this woman thought the car was hers, it really wasn’t. She had been mistaken. There are times we may think we are right, but actually we are wrong. This is why The Bible tells us in Proverbs 3:5-6, ‘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.’

These words challenge us as believers to put more confidence in God’s ability than in our own. The mind can play tricks on us. ‘Not to lean on our own understanding,” means not trusting conclusions based primarily on our own perceptions. Because our own understanding simply will not bear the full weight of reality. It was never intended to.

In exercising faith — trusting fully in the Lord and not leaning on our own understanding — we’re not setting aside our intellect. Rather we’re resting our intellect upon the wisdom of God.

God is all-knowing, all-powerful and everywhere-present. He is tried, true and trustworthy. And it is wisdom to trust Him to guide us in the journey of life. God makes the distinction between the heart and the mind. There is nothing wrong with using one’s mind, and this verse is not telling you to stop thinking. But sometimes what may seem outwardly right could actually be wrong. This is primarily because we are limited by our five senses.

This is why the Bible says in Proverbs 14:12 that there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. What it means is that we cannot always trust our perceptions. So, rather than making foolish and perhaps risky decisions, it’s better to trust God to lead and guide us. Proverbs 3:7 says, “Do not be wise in your own eyes.” Romans 12:16 rephrases this. “Never overestimate yourself or be wise in your own conceits.” (Amplified Bible).

God is the One with foreknowledge. He knows the end from the beginning and as we trust in Him, He will also lead us on the right pathway.

PRAYER:

Lord, please help me to always depend on Your wisdom and guidance in all that I do. By Your grace, I will always be guided on the right path of life in Jesus’ name.

QUOTE:

You will never need more than God to experience the impossible in life. WORDBITE 222.