“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” We recite it all the time. It’s a verse I have known since a very early age growing up in the church. But I think sometimes it rolls out of our mouths lacking the truth and power it really holds. It begs the question, “Do we really trust God with all our hearts?” I’m sure we would quickly say, “Yes,” but I find sometimes I trust Him more in the areas that I don’t feel equipped in, or I trust Him when I know my desires and His desires align, or maybe I trust Him in the safe areas of my life. When I feel equipped to step out in my own strength I don’t seek God first, or when I know my desire aligns with Him, I assume an outcome without needing the trust part, or for fear of God not following through I will trust Him in the small safe stuff.
Proverbs 3:5 calls us out. It says, “Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart …” (emphasis mine). God makes it clear that He wants us to trust Him with everything. And yet, we find ourselves struggling to do that. Why? Why do we struggle? We probably all have a different reason but does that justify our struggle? Does that let us off the hook?
In Exodus (Exodus 20:21) it says, “Children, honor your father and mother that it may go well with thee.” So when children honor their fathers and mothers it’s for their own well-being. God is our heavenly Father. There is no love greater than His in your life and there never will be. If there is anyone we can trust and lay down our own survivalist thinking to, it’s our Heavenly Father. And when we lay down our own strength and might, and the “I can take care of myself” perspective, we show God that we are surrendered to Him. We acknowledge His design and plan for our lives is better than anything we could do on our own.
What areas are you struggling in with trusting God and letting go? In what areas are you trusting your own wisdom more? In what ways are you playing it safe in your faith? Can I encourage you to spend some time with God on this? If there was no fear, what would you trust God with? What would you trust God for? When we have specific things we are seeking God for, it’s an impactful moment when we see Him answer. Maybe the answer comes differently than expected, or maybe we are waiting a long time to see the answer, and that’s ok. We can trust our Heavenly Father to always do what’s best for us. His ways are perfect and He is a God of love.
Bonnie Nichols
Women’s Ministries Specialist