Key scripture- “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” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

The following passage is so well known to most Christians that we have perhaps missed its significant message. Read slowly the words of Solomon:

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. (Proverbs 3:5–6)

Go back and read these words again, please; this time aloud.

Now let’s do a little digging. Pastor, Charles Swindol, suggest three important observations in what we just read.

First, there are four verbs—words of action—in these two verses:

trust
do not lean
acknowledge
make straight

A closer look will reveal the first three verbs are commands. They are directed to the child of God, the Christian. They represent our responsibility.

Trust . . . do not lean . . . acknowledge . . . .

The fourth verb is a promise. It declares God’s part in the transaction, His responsibility.

He will make your paths straight.

Putting this observation in the form of a simple diagram looks like this:

My Responsibility
Trust!
Do not lean!
Acknowledge!

God’s Promise
He will make straight . . .

A second observation: The same term is used no less than four times. Can you find it? Look again at the verses. Circle the word “your”. God is really emphasizing the personal nature of this truth. He is also telling us we must enter into it individually—no one else can apply it for us.

Your responsibility in your circumstances is to trust with all your heart . . . and to refuse to lean on your own understanding . . . acknowledging Him in all your ways . . . so that He might make straight your paths.

Get the picture? Responding to life’s situations is your choice. No one else can do it for you.

One final observation: The first phrase is linked to the last phrase, giving us the main idea. (Trust . . . He will make straight.) The two middle phrases merely amplify the main idea. (Do not lean . . . acknowledge.) Let me explain.

You are to trust in my Lord without hesitation and without reservation—with all your heart—so that He might step in and take control, making your way meaningful and straight. And what is involved in trusting with all your heart? Two particular decisions: one negative, the other positive.

Negatively, you are not to lean on your own understanding.
Positively, you are to acknowledge Him in the whole battleground.

As you think all this through, several specific truths seem to bounce off the pages of Scripture:

This is a personal promise for anxiety-prone people to claim right now. God has preserved this statement just for you. Claim it!

God will do His part, but first we must do our part. He will keep His promise if we obey His commands. Keep in mind that our response to His commands precedes His part in the transaction.

God wants our total trust. Yes, total. Nothing held back. No games. No empty, pious-sounding words. No, He commands our absolute confidence.

There is no area which He is unable to handle. Did you note the twice-repeated “all”? God is a specialist in every circumstance. That includes yours. Today.

Since this promise is to be personally applied, how about filling in the blank with your current stress right now? Instead of reading:

. . . in all your ways recognize Him, and He will smooth out your path, removing all obstacles.

you fill in the space:

. . . in _______________________ recognize Him, and He will smooth out my path, removing all obstacles.

Right this moment, take that worry that is eating away at you like a rapidly growing cancer, and turn it over to Him as you write or envision it in that blank space. Refuse to brood over it any longer! Cast aside doubt and fear and leave it all with Him. Then stand back and watch Him work.

Pray this – Our Precious Heavenly Father, this Proverb is so precious because it is full of such beautiful and familiar words of hope for all of us who are clenched in the vise-grip of worry. I throw myself completely upon You by casting all my needs and worries on You. I find my security and safety in You. I refuse to rely on my own ingenuity and knowledge. Instead, I acknowledge Your presence, and I trust in and lean on You in each and every one of my circumstances. I know that by giving You full control of the situation, You will thoroughly smooth out and straighten my paths, and You will remove each obstacle along the way. What a magnificent promise, which I stand on with complete confidence knowing that You never lie or change Your mind. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Credit: The Holy Bible
Proverbs 3:5-6
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