TRUST AND OBEY

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

In high school, I memorized Proverbs 3:5,6. I had memorized a few other verses but never two at a time. That really seemed like a load at the time. Of course, by now, I've come to know that even chapters from the Bible can be memorized. I didn't know, however, through the years how much the two verses from Proverbs would come to mean to me.

Sometime back, in looking over these verses, I noticed something about how they compliment each other. The two verses when blended back each other up in meaning. Please don't kick me out of the faith for doing this but it just spoke to me. Please note the use of the word ALL:

Trust in the LORD with ALL thine heart...(2) in ALL thy ways acknowledge him
and lean not unto thine own understanding...(2) and he shall direct thy paths.\\

Why I did that is because I was taking a long look at the word TRUST. Trust is another one of those words that is hard to define because we seem to know the meaning of trust without a word of explanation. We think of trust as relying on the word and character of another person.

Spiritually speaking, trust is believing in the promises of God in all circumstances. He has proven Himself true and trustworthy in every situation, whether on the sunny days or in dire days of suffering and pain. No, He hasn't given us everything we have asked Him for, but He knows what to grant to us that will build us spiritually.

We have all been betrayed at one time or another and it is always disappointing. It also causes in us a caution with regard to the betrayer. Humanly speaking, it takes a very long time to get past that kind of thing. When it comes to trust, aren't we grateful that our God has never broken a trust with us. We have probably at times be lax in our trust of Him.

The way I have written the verses above, I see in the first line the ALL words. That means there is an expectation on our part if this trust relationship is to be a healthy one on our part. It means our trusting and acknowledging God to the fullest. It also means that when we are intent on “doing our own thing” it makes His direction in our lives difficult.

Bottom line in it all is for us to “trust and obey...for there's no other way.”

Father, You have given us every reason to trust You completely. May we come to know You better and better knowing our trust in You will be increased. We love You for loving us more than we can know and for giving Jesus to die for our unworthy selves. In His love...Amen