Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 3:6, In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.“
There are three things that are necessary for that promise to come true in anyone’s life. We all need to act on His conditions:-
1]. Trust In The LORD With All Your Heart
In the Greek Old Testament [the LXX] the word for “trust” is [ισθι πεποιθως ] from [peitho] meaning = be persuaded, to persuade, have confidence, believe.
Why should we be persuaded to trust Him?
We should acknowledge His rule over us because of who He is and what He has done.
- Because of Who He is. He is the Creator, the Lord of the universe. He is infinite in knowledge and wisdom. He alone understands every human situation. He alone has the answers to our human problems.
- Because of what He has done in human lives. In this Proverb, God is seen as the source of the wisdom which can guide people in the right paths. He always acts for the good of His people.
- Because of what He wants to do in our lives. He wants us to walk in His ways which He knows are best for us. He has a plan and purpose for us to fulfil.
2]. Do Not Lean On Your Own Understanding
“Lean” = epairō. to raise up (literally or figuratively): – exalt self, poise (lift, take) up. That is, “Do not be lifted up by your own wisdom.” His wisdom is far beyond our human wisdom. He tells us about His wisdom in these verses, Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” AND Romans 11:33-34 “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counsellor?”
We need to lean against [rely on] the Lord’s wisdom, not our own. Proverbs 14:12 puts it, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” We often fail to see beforehand the consequences of our decisions and actions. We think at the time we are being wise and discerning but time shows that our decisions were based on insufficient knowledge and a failure to grasp the intricacies of a situation. What better situations we might now be in if we had only sought more wisdom before making that fateful decision!
3]. In All Your Ways Acknowledge Him
“Acknowledge” = gnōrizō = to make known; gain knowledge of, subjectively to know, understand. We need to acknowledge our dependence on Him in seeking His way ahead.
“In all your ways.” Everything in life has to be handed over to God so that He can direct, and where necessary, change our plans. He has a good and perfect will for His people and they are fools not to accept His guidance and over-ruling. His wisdom is far beyond our human wisdom. It is only by the revelation brought to us by the Holy Spirit that we can ever discover the hidden wisdom of God, 1 Corinthians 2:11 “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.” The Spirit of God can reveal to us what He wants us to know and understand.
4]. And He Will Make Straight Your Paths.
“Make straight”. The Greek word for “make straight” is from [orthotomeō] meaning to make a straight cut, that is, to dissect correctly, to rightly divide. Many of us may remember our mothers or sisters taking a piece of paper and making a pattern out of it with a pair of scissors to eventually make a dress or a garment. That is what God does as we submit to His will for us. He cuts out a pattern for our lives that traces out our future paths. As we keep on abiding in Him, He leads us in a way that He has designed just for us individually. It implies that God does a work on our behalf as we come to Him seeking His will and His ways. He smooths the way ahead by removing many of the obstacles we fail to recognise. And by leading us in a way that is most beneficial for us.
As many of us look back on our lives we can recognise that they are far from what we expected when we first came to the Lord. But we recognise how wise He was in leading us in a way that was far beyond our expectations and so much more fulfilling.
In my own life I am amazed at the Lord’s plan and purpose in bringing a 4 year old girl with her parents all the way from Kharagpur in India to settle down in Australia. And then when I was converted to Christ at the age of 23 going to a church where I met and fell in love with her. She was beautiful, attractive, intelligent and so kind. And amazingly she fell in love with me too and we had almost 54 years of a very happy and fulfilling marriage before the Lord took her home 3 years ago. The Lord filled her with His love and I was the recipient of God’s agape love through her for all those years. Hundreds of other people were also touched by her love in her work as a teacher and as a clergy wife. God made our paths straight individually and together after we had followed those 3 conditions.
Trusting in the Lord with all our heart
Leaning not on our own understanding
Acknowledging Him in all our ways. PRAISE GOD FOR HIS AMAZING GRACE!
Blog No.469 posted on Tuesday 14 March 2023.
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About Jim Holbeck
Once an Industrial Chemist working for the Queensland Government but later an Anglican minister in Brisbane, Armidale and Sydney. Last position for eighteen years before retirement in 2006 was as the Leader of the Healing Ministry at St Andrew's Cathedral Sydney.
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469. Proverbs 3:5-6. God Makes Straight Our Paths.
Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 3:6, In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.“
There are three things that are necessary for that promise to come true in anyone’s life. We all need to act on His conditions:-
1]. Trust In The LORD With All Your Heart
In the Greek Old Testament [the LXX] the word for “trust” is [ισθι πεποιθως ] from [peitho] meaning = be persuaded, to persuade, have confidence, believe.
Why should we be persuaded to trust Him?
We should acknowledge His rule over us because of who He is and what He has done.
2]. Do Not Lean On Your Own Understanding
“Lean” = epairō. to raise up (literally or figuratively): – exalt self, poise (lift, take) up. That is, “Do not be lifted up by your own wisdom.” His wisdom is far beyond our human wisdom. He tells us about His wisdom in these verses, Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” AND Romans 11:33-34 “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counsellor?”
We need to lean against [rely on] the Lord’s wisdom, not our own. Proverbs 14:12 puts it, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” We often fail to see beforehand the consequences of our decisions and actions. We think at the time we are being wise and discerning but time shows that our decisions were based on insufficient knowledge and a failure to grasp the intricacies of a situation. What better situations we might now be in if we had only sought more wisdom before making that fateful decision!
3]. In All Your Ways Acknowledge Him
“Acknowledge” = gnōrizō = to make known; gain knowledge of, subjectively to know, understand. We need to acknowledge our dependence on Him in seeking His way ahead.
“In all your ways.” Everything in life has to be handed over to God so that He can direct, and where necessary, change our plans. He has a good and perfect will for His people and they are fools not to accept His guidance and over-ruling. His wisdom is far beyond our human wisdom. It is only by the revelation brought to us by the Holy Spirit that we can ever discover the hidden wisdom of God, 1 Corinthians 2:11 “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.” The Spirit of God can reveal to us what He wants us to know and understand.
4]. And He Will Make Straight Your Paths.
“Make straight”. The Greek word for “make straight” is from [orthotomeō] meaning to make a straight cut, that is, to dissect correctly, to rightly divide. Many of us may remember our mothers or sisters taking a piece of paper and making a pattern out of it with a pair of scissors to eventually make a dress or a garment. That is what God does as we submit to His will for us. He cuts out a pattern for our lives that traces out our future paths. As we keep on abiding in Him, He leads us in a way that He has designed just for us individually. It implies that God does a work on our behalf as we come to Him seeking His will and His ways. He smooths the way ahead by removing many of the obstacles we fail to recognise. And by leading us in a way that is most beneficial for us.
As many of us look back on our lives we can recognise that they are far from what we expected when we first came to the Lord. But we recognise how wise He was in leading us in a way that was far beyond our expectations and so much more fulfilling.
In my own life I am amazed at the Lord’s plan and purpose in bringing a 4 year old girl with her parents all the way from Kharagpur in India to settle down in Australia. And then when I was converted to Christ at the age of 23 going to a church where I met and fell in love with her. She was beautiful, attractive, intelligent and so kind. And amazingly she fell in love with me too and we had almost 54 years of a very happy and fulfilling marriage before the Lord took her home 3 years ago. The Lord filled her with His love and I was the recipient of God’s agape love through her for all those years. Hundreds of other people were also touched by her love in her work as a teacher and as a clergy wife. God made our paths straight individually and together after we had followed those 3 conditions.
Trusting in the Lord with all our heart
Leaning not on our own understanding
Acknowledging Him in all our ways. PRAISE GOD FOR HIS AMAZING GRACE!
Blog No.469 posted on Tuesday 14 March 2023.
Share this:
Like this:
Related
About Jim Holbeck
Once an Industrial Chemist working for the Queensland Government but later an Anglican minister in Brisbane, Armidale and Sydney. Last position for eighteen years before retirement in 2006 was as the Leader of the Healing Ministry at St Andrew's Cathedral Sydney.