Can you ever fully trust someone with absolute, total certainty—knowing that he or she will always act in your best interest?
As sinful human beings, trust is hard to give, and we always hold something back—whether because we don’t fully trust someone else or because we’ve been hurt in the past and now seek to protect ourselves from future harm.
Can you ever fully rely on someone’s understanding—even if his or her understanding of something is completely different from your own?
As sinful human beings, we tend to rely on our own understanding of a situation or what’s happening in life. We rationalize our decision to do so, and even when we do rely on someone’s understanding, it’s never a full reliance. We still question and doubt whether he or she is right.
Can you ever submit to someone—surrendering your will and letting him or her be your guide in all aspects of life?
As sinful human beings, submission goes against our nature. We want what we want, and if someone tells us we can’t have it, defiance, stubbornness, and forging our own path through life are certainly applauded by the rest of society.
And yet the Holy Spirit inspired King Solomon to write these words: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
It sounds impossible, right?
Thank God for Jesus! He came to do the impossible for us.
Throughout his life on earth, Jesus trusted in the Lord with his whole heart. He didn’t lean on his own understanding. In all of his ways—even his way to an agonizing death on the cross—he submitted perfectly to his heavenly Father.
That was for you and me—for all the times we fail to trust in God with our whole hearts, for leaning on our own understanding or flat-out going against his will for our lives.
Thank you, Jesus!
And yet we shouldn’t just think of these verses from Proverbs as things Jesus did for us because we never could. These are still spiritual, scriptural truths for our lives today. Truths we hold on to by faith. Truths we seek to live out by faith.
We know that our God will always act in our best interest, working all things—both good and bad—for our spiritual good, even if we can’t understand how such things could possibly be good.
How do we know all of this? By faith.
Faith, as the apostle Paul wrote, comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word about Christ (Romans 10:17).
The Bible is where God tells us everything we need to know about him, what he has done to save us from our sins, and who we are to him in Christ Jesus.
Dear Christian, the more we are in God’s Word—reading his promises and countless accounts of his faithfulness, mercy, and love—the more we see God and know him for who he is: our heavenly Father who loves us with an everlasting love for Jesus’ sake.
God is with us. Always. All because of Jesus. See what he has done for you—the victory he won for you at the cross. Hear the promises he has made to you—forgiveness of sins, adoption into God’s family, and the home waiting for you in heaven.
Trust in him.
Looking for devotions on the book of Proverbs?
Wisdom and Folly contains 105 brief and insightful devotions on the books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs. Discover practical, scriptural insights for spiritual growth and be encouraged to apply wisdom’s teachings to all aspects of your life.
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Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House and a 2023 graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree. He enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation with his family.
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