Proverbs 3:5-6 ” Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths..”.”

DAILY READING – – Matthew 15:21-39; Leviticus 26-27; Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:26

The American Tobacco Company, was once one of America’s greatest industrial conglomerate. It was founded by baron James Duke, after whom  the Duke University in North Carolina, was named. On November 22, 1912, an only child, Doris, was born to James Duke. The newspapers christened her “the richest little girl in the world.” Her father dotted on her and gave her the best he could.

However, when Doris was only 12 years old, her father James Duke suddenly died, leaving the bulk of his great fortune to his daughter. On his deathbed, James had cautioned her to “trust no one”. Her father’s last words indeed made Doris to trust no one, not even her own mother. When she was only 14 years old, she sued her mother to stop her from selling family assets.

The book  ‘Trust No One’ tells the story of Doris Duke who  lived the life of a recluse for the first 50 years of her life, not trusting anyone. Eventually in her later years, she made efforts to trust her Butler, who had come to her household as a poor Irishman. As he gained her confidence, he convinced her that everyone around her was conspiring against her. This made her to eventually cut off from even close relationships. Few years later, she died at her Beverly Hills mansion, without family or friends; her billion-dollar legacy left in the sole control of her butler. After her death, the butler came under suspicion of having murdered her for her wealth. Doris Duke’s lawyers sued him. After a California court deemed him unfit to handle the wealth estimated at $1.2 billion, he was forced to relinquish the wealth willed to him by Doris Duke. The sad story of Doris Duke reflects the result of misplaced trust.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says  ” Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths..”

We are to trust in The Lord with all our heart and not to lean on our own understanding or perceptions. No one can know the intents of the heart except The Lord.

Jeremiah 17:9 says ‘the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?’

Limited by our five physical senses, we are often prone to errors and mistakes in our assessment and judgment of people and situations. But when we trust God to lead the way, He guides us in the way that we should go.

James Duke advice to his daughter to ‘trust no one’ ended up negatively affecting her. We cannot go through life fearful of people, with hands held across our hearts.  Unfair things happen, and people let us down but then that does not mean that there are not good people too. We do not let pain define us, rather we let it refine us. In a culture of misplaced trusts, broken promises, and damaged lives, only Jesus is unshakable, unchangeable, unbreakable, and worthy of all our trust.

When we trust God He can make  even our enemies to be at peace with us. God knows how to turn around what was meant for evil  and use it for our glory. Joseph survived the evil plot of his brothers because he trusted in God. David survived the evil plots of his father-in-law, Saul, because he trusted in God. Not everyone will be happy with your progress and not everyone will wish you well. But when  we place our trust in The Lord, He guides us away from the evil intents of men’s hearts.

Psalm 125:1 says ‘Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.’

Trusting God means  we are absolutely dependent on Him regardless of the situation. Trusting God means we will declare His faithfulness regardless of any circumstance. As we trust in God, He will surely cause us to triumph in every trouble.

And we can only trust God when we know Him through His Word. The more we know God through intimate fellowship, the more we will trust Him to take care of all that concerns us.

PRAYER; “Father, today I choose to lean on You and trust You with all my heart. I won’t put my confidence in what I see, but I will trust in Your Word which remains true forever in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

QUOTE

It is only when you can see God in the light of who He truly is that you can begin to walk in the overflow of His blessings. – WORDBITE 222