The Benefits of Trusting in the Lord

The Benefits of Trusting in the Lord (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Nothing is more important than what a person believes about God. How he or she perceives Him will determine, to a significant degree, what he or she believes about themselves and how they relate to others. It will also define a person’s interpretation of life and the meaning of events. Never is someone’s understanding of God more critical than in times of personal crisis.

Worrying is not trusting in the Lord. When we worry, we are more likely to lean on our own understanding. Jesus instructs us to, Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof (Matthew 6:34). We should live wisely as the Bible instructs us, trusting in the Lord in every area of our lives.

Trusting God means leaving the outcome of a situation in His hands without trying to influence it ourselves. (This doesn’t mean that we are to sit around and not do anything. Trusting God involves working as we wait.) It means we should stop worrying about the way it will turn out. Finally, it means we have to accept the outcome as God’s best for us, even if it is different than what we wanted.

Four vital ways for us to seek God’s guidance is to plead with Him in prayer:
1. Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face (Psalm 5:8).
2. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day (Psalm 25:5).
3. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies (Psalm 27:11).
4. Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness (Psalm 143:10).

If you reject the Word and wise counsel, you’re not giving the Spirit much to work with. You tell yourself, “The Lord told me to do this.” God will not tell you to do something contrary to His Word and contrary to the godly wisdom of others. If you insist on deciding against God’s Word and wise counsel, the results will be entirely your own fault. Start with Scripture, include wise counsel and reliance on God’s Spirit, and your testimony will be, “He guides me.” When life is difficult, you want to know you have sought God’s guidance every step of the way.

When you lean on the Lord through prayer and you trust Him to answer, you can rest in His assurances that He will do the following:

1. He will guide you into pleasant paths. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters (Psalm 23:1-2).
2. He will guide you in your decision making. Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way. The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way (Psalm 25:8-9).
3. He will guide you with His own eye. I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye (Psalm 32:8).
4. He will guide you through the rest of your life. For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death (Psalm 48:14).
5. He will guide you by wise counsel. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory (Psalm 73:24).
6. He will guide you into an understanding of truth. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come (John 16:13).

The life of a believer is filled with many impediments and difficulties and often we cannot see them coming. We need to have an honest and trustworthy guide to help us stay on course. In John 16:13, Jesus described the ministry of the Holy Spirit this way, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come”. No obstacle we encounter is a surprise to Him, and no decision we must make confounds Him. As children of God, we have been given this promise and we need to use it every day.

Points to Ponder:
· Don’t worry about the future.
· Acknowledge God in all your ways.

• As we seek God’s will, we learn to walk by faith and not sight (II Corinthians 5:7).

Questions to Consider:

• How do you need to grow in your acknowledging of the Lord in all your ways?
• Would you describe yourself as self-reliant or God-dependent?
• When a crisis hits, do you lean on yourself or on God?

PRAYER: Lord, Heavenly Father, thank You for Your guidance. Forgive me for getting ahead of Your plans, and help me know when to stop and listen for Your direction. Your ways are perfect. In Jesus name, AMEN.

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