“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 paths straight.”

Proverbs 3:5-6

This passage is sort of an oldie but a goodie, isn’t it?   Course I guess that describes the whole Bible, doesn’t it?  What I mean is that it’s a beautiful, poetic passage whose meaning is immediately apparent. 

These verses first came to my attention because they were a treasure to a dear friend of mine.  And the more people I meet, the more people I know who claim this passage as one of their very own.

I like these verses because of their simple encouragement.  They are a gentle reminder of our weakness, and His might.  Pared down to its simplest, this passage says all we need to hear:

“Trust in the Lord, and He will make your paths straight.”  How comforting that promise is!  He will make our paths straight.   And furthermore, there is no path that He cannot make straight!

But there is more to it than that.  Yes, it’s a promise, and He always keeps His promises, but we have a responsibility, too.  We must acknowledge Him, trust Him, and lean on His understanding.

And I love the wording in this passage.  No-nonsense words like “all your heart” and “all your ways”.  “All” is a pretty unforgiving word.  There are no two ways about it.  Anyone can trust the Lord here and there, now and then, but He commands me to trust in Him with all my heart, and acknowledge Him in all my ways. 

And even more difficult than that, just to make sure I understand what’s expected of me, He commands me to lean not on my own understanding.  Boy, that is the hardest part, in matters of the heart and mind.  At least it is for me.

But the reward that is promised is worth it.  For if I strive to give Him all my heart, all my understanding, and all my ways, He will indeed make my paths straight.  And a path made straight by God travels along His will and leads right into His arms.

photo credit: atrampinthewoods.com

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