proverbs 3:5-6 | Thoughts About God

Audacious Trust

Devotionals — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 07:03:54 +0000

“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

If someone asked me, “Do you trust in the Lord?” my natural response would be an emphatic, “Yes!”

However, if someone rephrased the question and asked me, “Do you trust the Lord with all your heart?” My response would be less enthusiastic and even less definitive, because during many seasons of uncertainty and adversity, I have questioned God’s sovereignty by foolishly favoring my own understanding.

The advice in this proverb reflects divine insight and wisdom. Trust is an unavoidable rite-of-passage for believers seeking counsel and a deeper, more intimate relationship with the Lord. Relational intimacy without trust is unattainable.

Throughout His life, Jesus, in obedience to the Father, modeled unwavering trust. For Him, trust meant submitting to the Father’s council and will despite circumstance or consequence. Jesus compelled His followers to embrace that same trust — a trust that emphatically resolves to submit to the Father’s will despite personal perception or doubt.

Trusting the Lord with all your heart is a lifelong call and challenge. Remember, trust is not a feeling; trust is an action. Trust is the foundation and heart of authentic, intimate relationship.

How then, as believers, do we respond to the apparent crucible of trust? For me, trust is audaciously choosing to follow Jesus on a long and winding road — around fog-filled curves, through unmarked crossroads, and over clouded peaks and valleys. Unwavering trust is a journey worthy of inconvenience. In hindsight, when we reflect on our apparent arduous journey, we witness a perfectly straight path disappearing into life’s horizon.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me despite my weaknesses and inadequacies. Help me to overcome my fears. May Your Holy Spirit teach me to trust You in every circumstance — with all my heart. In Jesus precious name, amen.

By Allan Mitchell
Used by permission

www.thelife.com/dailydevotions

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Are You Afraid to Fully Surrender to God?

Devotionals — Fri, 19 May 2023 08:01:41 +0000

Many people say,

“Sure, I believe in God. I’ve gone to church most of my life.”

But is this all there is to it? What does it mean to believe?

To believe means more than intellectual consent. It involves surrender. We must give ourselves to God before He can give Himself to us. We practice this kind of surrender every time we fly in an airplane. We board an aircraft, sit down in our seats and put the seat belt on. And for the next four hours or so we’re at the mercy of a pilot whom we don’t even know. We trust that he knows what he’s doing and he’ll get us to the right destination safely.

We do the same with a doctor. Before surgery we sign a consent form, right? We allow the anaesthetist to put us to sleep. Talk about complete surrender! Then the surgeon can help us and not before. The principle of complete surrender holds true in many situations in life. Complete surrender is needed before help can come to us.

It’s no different with God. Before He can help us, we must give ourselves to him completely.

Being totally dependent upon God is one of the hardest things we Christians have to do in life.
We fear the helplessness of it. We want to be in control. Still, God cannot work unless we surrender to him. His way is always to work through weakness.

We have the mistaken idea that when we surrender completely we’ll become spineless and mindless persons. Nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, when we surrender we tap into God more fully. We become more alive, more realistic, more courageous, more truly ourselves than we’ve ever been before.

Dear God, forgive me for being so independent. I want to trust you more in every situation. I give myself to you now in full surrender. In Jesus name, Amen.

“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.” Proverb 3:5-6

By Helen Lescheid
Used by Permission

Stay Near to God

Thoughts_About_God — Sat, 15 May 2021 08:01:00 +0000

“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils.” Luke 11:21-22

Why did Peter deny Jesus?

He confidently declared “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” (Matthew 26:35) But only a few short hours later, Peter did the exact opposite. He denied he knew Jesus three times, just as Jesus predicted. We don’t have to imagine Peter’s sorrow: We’re told plainly that afterwards “he went outside and wept bitterly.” (Matthew 26:75)

But this doesn’t answer the question of why Peter denied knowing Him. Part of it was fear: Fear of losing his reputation by being associated with a man accused of being a criminal. Fear of his responsibilities. Fear, perhaps, for his own life. But another reason that Peter ended up denying knowing His Lord is because he was away from Him.

Peter lost sight of his Lord. It wasn’t until “The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter” (Luke 22:61) that Peter came back to his senses and realized what he had done. After losing sight of Jesus, Peter had been trying to do things on his own strength. Rather than trusting God, he was trusting in himself.

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

Peter himself explains the imminent danger of trying to do everything ourselves God: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) The apostle James advises us: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.” (James 4:7-8) While even the strongest of men & women are no match for Satan’s temptations on our own, with God we have nothing to fear.

We can stay near to God by reading His Word, by speaking and listening to Him in prayer, and by living in community with His sons and daughters. Stay near to God, and you will never be overwhelmed.

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

Question: What is the danger of not staying near God? How does staying near God protect us from danger?

by Darren Hewer
Used by Permission

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Remove the Hedges

Devotionals — Wed, 13 Apr 2016 11:00:43 +0000

‘Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Linda was worried about her son Billy.

His friends were into heavy drinking and drugs, and dabbled in pornography.
Linda remembered when Billy was a sweet little innocent boy.
At age six he invited Jesus into his heart. What a joyous event!
But now in his twenties, Billy troubled his mother.
Oh how she pleaded with God to protect Billy from harm.

Then as Linda studied the Bible, she read God sometimes used calamity to bring a prodigal son back.

So Linda changed her prayers and asked God to spare Billy’s life.
She knew God might have to bring Billy pretty low before he saw the filth around him.
On Billy’s lowest night he finally listened to the Holy Spirit’s promptings and returned to Christ.

Pray for your child. But leave him in God’s hands.

By Vonette Bright
used by permission

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