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.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NASB): 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 your paths straight.
We can learn to
trust God. Think of a friend you
trust—someone that you would let watch your children or share a deep personal secret with. Why do you
trust them?
The exact same way.
- Get to know God personally.
- Remember when God has been faithful.
- Read about how God feels about you.
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 path straight. “Trust,” according to Google, is: Firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.
Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them-- the LORD, who remains faithful forever.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
“Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things!" “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known." "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell."
Proverbs 3:7, NASB: "Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil." Proverbs 3:7, NLT: "Don't be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the LORD and turn away from evil."
In order to lean into Jesus, we must relinquish our desire to control our circumstances. Learning to rest in God's sovereignty and trusting that His will is always for our good is challenging and essential. It is important to acknowledge the pain within the situation and avoid minimizing the emotional stress.
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.”
Nehemiah 8:10 Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Isaiah 41:10 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. Exodus 15:2 The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory.
Lord Jesus Christ, grant me the gift of understanding. Help me to understand the feelings of others, the desires of others, the goals of others. At the same time, help me to understand myself in my actions and reactions. Widen my vision beyond my own small world to embrace with knowledge and love the worlds of others.
To gain understanding, one has to have both knowledge and wisdom first, and then put them into action. He has to know, make a choice, and then practice that choice he has made. Without practicing and executing one's knowledge and choice, he cannot truly understand or realize them.
The gift of understanding perfects a person's speculative reason in the apprehension of truth. It is the gift whereby self-evident principles are known, Aquinas writes.
Wisdom is the principle thing; therefore, get wisdom and in all thy getting, get understanding (Proverbs 4:7)!
1 : a mental grasp : comprehension. 2a : the power of comprehending especially : the capacity to apprehend general relations of particulars. b : the power to make experience intelligible by applying concepts and categories. 3a : a mutual agreement not formally entered into but in some degree binding on each side.
The skill of understanding others helps us predict what people might feel in a certain situation, but it also allows us to make sense of how people react.
Godly wisdom is innocent, gentle, reasonable, peace-loving, impartial and sincere. It is full of mercy and willing to yield to others. James 3:17-18 ESV But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
Lord, Please open up my mind to help me to understand the Bible. Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions. Give me understanding so that I can know you better. Please give me spiritual wisdom and insight so that I might grow in my knowledge of you.
Biblical and theological overview
| Romans 12:6–8 | 1 Corinthians 12:8–10 | 1 Peter 4:11 |
|---|
| Prophecy Serving Teaching Exhortation Giving Leadership Mercy | Word of wisdom Word of knowledge FaithGifts of healings Miracles Prophecy Distinguishing between spirits Tongues Interpretation of tongues | Whoever speaks Whoever renders service |
The Bible guides us to: “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” (Proverbs 3:5, 6). And that is exactly what I needed at that moment: clear guidance on what path to take!
The Holy Spirit is always going to lead us in the direction God has for our life, which results in those straight paths. To acknowledge God in all our ways means we should learn in everything we do in this life to line up how we do things with God and His ways. God's ways are perfect, and His Word is proven.
First of all, we are to admit that God is true--in all our ways. To acknowledge Him is to say, “He is true.” That gets us off to a good start. If we don't acknowledge that He is true, we might as well not go any further.
What is the Path of God? It's the right path, the mindset, the attitude, the choices and actions you take that put you in line with God, and on the road-to-Heaven, moving you towards Him, and not away from Him.
