-September 3, 2021-
Good morning, happy Friday,
-Trusting In the Lord To Direct Our Paths-
“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.”
(Proverbs 3:5-6).
We live in a confused, chaotic, and confrontational world. These are very difficult and troubled times. Today’s verses are very familiar to us and have been a great blessing to believers down through the centuries. We all want to make the right decisions and take the right paths which are what God has for us.
In order to be on God’s path, walking in the center of His will we must pray for His guidance and step out in faith, trusting Him even when we cannot see the way ahead. The heading in my Bible is “Guidance for the Young.” Yes, it is wonderful advice for the young ones, like those graduating from high school or college, and for young couples just starting out. But we know that it applies to every believer, young and old, on a daily basis.
King Solomon wrote most all of the book of Proverbs. It is a book of wisdom to help us live successfully and victoriously through both adversity and prosperity. There are three commands to obey, with a promise of His guidance and direction for those who do obey. This means that if we do our part, God will do His part. Our part is to, “Trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding; and in all your ways acknowledge Him.” His part is, “And He shall direct your paths.”
• Trust in the Lord with all your heart – It doesn’t sound that hard but it is. We need to not only trust the Lord, but trust Him with every fabric of our being. In 2 Corinthians 5:7, Paul wrote, “For we walk by faith not by sight.” Instead, as mortal beings, we often do the very opposite: we walk by sight not by faith. We must trust the Lord fully on a daily basis for whatever circumstances may come. The key is to trust Him with all our heart.
• And lean not on your own understanding – Our own will, thinking, knowledge, and experience is really not going to help us. When we lean on our own faulty knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, we fall so often. We can’t see the future, we don’t know which path to choose. So often we make decisions without consulting the Lord and it turns out predictably bad at best and disastrous at worst. This is a warning to each of us. Proverbs 3:7 says, “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil.”
• In all your ways acknowledge Him – We must acknowledge the Lord in all things. The way to do this is to look to Him in prayer and through the Word of God. In Psalm 16:8, David wrote, “I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.” The Lord wants us to be still before Him and listen to His voice. Jesus is Lord of all, He must then be my Lord in all.
• And He shall direct your paths – This is God m’a promise to us when we trust in Him with all our hearts, don’t lean on our own understanding, but acknowledge Him in all our ways. He will make our paths smooth or straight. We will be in God’s Will. Someone once said, “The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you.” God will direct our paths in His ways and according to His timing. God is not in a rush, only we are.
Have a blessed day and weekend, trusting in the Lord to direct your paths. Stay safe and healthy.
In His grace,
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 