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 straight your paths.
— Proverbs 3:5–6
When you really get down to it, most of following Jesus is about trust. In fact, there really isn’t any area of our lives where this is more evident than in our decisions. Often times, our decisions come down to whether or not we are going to trust in God — his promises, his word, his direction, his wisdom — or we are going to trust in what we see and feel.
The way the proverb writer spoke of it makes it so clear. We are to trust in God with all our hearts and not lean on our own understanding. The reality is my understanding is shaky, unstable and unreliable. There is a lot I simply do not understand. I do not understand why things have happened the way they did in the past. I do not understand what is going to happen tomorrow. My understanding will not hold up to my attempts to lean on it and depend on it.
When I “acknowledge” God in all my ways, I recognize who he is. I recognize his superiority to me. I recognize his character. I recognize his provision for me in the past. When I “acknowledge” him, I walk in accordance to the things I know to be true about God. His is good, perfect, righteous and loving. He always has my best interest at heart.
When I refuse to trust in my understanding, and fully put my trust in my heavenly Father, he makes my paths straight. I can be sure of my decisions. I can be confident that I am in the place that God wants to use me, ready to tell the story that honors him with my life.