Life is full of ups and downs. I’ve recently experienced this reality this past week with our vehicle breaking down amidst various other challenges.  It can feel so overwhelming.  When the hard times come and we face unexpected challenges, it’s tempting to rely on ourselves. But we see from scripture that God wants us to do things differently. We are to trust in the Lord!

Proverbs 3: 5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

The first thing we note is that we are to trust in the Lord with all of our hearts.  We need to keep our hearts positioned with faith and trust. Consequently, when the hardship arrives we immediately turn to the Lord with hearts that fully trust Him.  So remember to keep your heart positioned before the Lord full of faith and trust in Him.

DON’T RELY ON YOURSELF

Secondly, in this verse we are clearly told not to lean on our own understanding.  It’s important to understand that God fully expects us to take action but we are not just to jump into action without seeking Him first and trusting Him to show us the way. 

Lastly, we are told to submit our ways to God.  This means that as we trust God and begin to move forward we need to lay our plans before Him trusting Him to guide us.  And then we are assured that God will make our paths straight.  He will direct us in the way to go, help us and strengthen us to walk in His ways.  

I’m so thankful that we have the Lord our God, who walks with us daily and helps us with every challenge and hardship we encounter in this life. Let’s be determined to trust Him more deeply as He directs our paths.