Trusting The Lord In Heaven And Eleven

Proverbs 3:5-6

Introduction

In 2010, we experienced many changes. How did we cope with so much change… and how will we cope with further change in 2011? One sure way to cope is by trusting the Lord in heaven and eleven. This is our New Year message from Proverbs 3:5-6: 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. As we move into 2011, we need to trust someone bigger than ourselves; we need to trust someone bigger than our politicians; we need to trust someone bigger than our peers. We need to trust the Lord. We can do this by…

Trusting In His Person

Trust the Lord

Most of us struggle through life. We struggle with personal relationships. We struggle at work or with the lack of it! We struggle with illness. Whatever the reason for our struggles, how does it feel when someone says, “Don’t let it get you down—just trust the Lord?” This sounds simplistic, but given the right meaning, trusting the Lord is the best thing we can do. The question is… what does it mean to trust the Lord?

Trust

The word trust in Proverbs 3:5 means to cling on to something with all our might; to hold on and never let go. Using the same word Psalm 22:9 says, “You brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother’s breast.” Here the idea of trust is that of complete dependence. We can illustrate this by looking at the way we use the word trust. We say, “Can I trust this chair or table on which I am about to stand.” In other words, can I put my whole weight upon it? We ask if we can trust a certain person or business—can we give them our full support. Ultimately, we cannot trust anyone (not even ourselves). This is why Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord.” Instead of leaning on our own limited resources, we are to trust God’s infinite care and support.

Trusting the Lord today

In our struggles, we are encouraged to trust someone who is bigger than our problems. We are encouraged to trust the one who made us, the one who loves us, and the one who cares for us. We are encouraged to trust the one who said he will never leave us nor forsake us. We are to trust him with all our heart—with all we are and all we have. To help us with this, Proverbs 3:1-2 says, “Do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.” This is quality of life as well as quantity, and it leads to a further point. From trusting in his person to…

Trusting In His Presence

Aware of his presence

Have you ever been talking about someone only to realise they are close by? This is what Proverbs 3:6 means when it says, “In all your ways acknowledge him.” Another translation says, “In all your ways be mindful of him.” In all your ways, know that he is present.

Living in God’s presence

The word acknowledge in v6 is more than a theoretical knowledge. It is a penetrating awareness that affects everything we do. Before Isaiah saw the Lord high and exalted in Chapter 6, he had a theoretical knowledge of God and lived a reasonable life. Now, he had an acute awareness of God’s presence, and it changed his life forever. We can learn theology at college; we can learn social skills at school, we can learn morals at home or at church, but we learn to trust… in God’s presence. This is why Colossians 3:17 says, “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name or in the presence of God.”

God is with us now

God is present with us now; he will be with us after the service; he will be with us throughout the day and during the week. God is with us in all we do. So, in all your ways…acknowledge him. In this context, vs.3-4 says, “Do not let love and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on your heart. Then you will find favour and good repute in the sight of God and others.” This is what it means to be a spiritual person. To do this we need to trust in his person and in his presence. This should then lead to…

Trusting In His Purpose

Clearing the road ahead

In the journey of life, the Lord clears the way ahead so that we can follow him. So having encouraged us to trust him instead of our own understanding, Proverbs 3:6 says, “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Straightening our path

This is not about God controlling us; it is about God clearing the way so that we can move on. The verse says, in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. There are no ifs or buts. There are no maybes. If we trust the Lord with all our heart, if we acknowledge him in all our ways, we will know who we are (we will have a sense of identity), we will know why we are here (we will have a sense of purpose), and we will know where we are going (we will have a sense of destiny and direction).

Trusting as we go

There will be times when we will ask, why, why, and why again. Ultimately, however, it comes down to one word—trust. The verb is in the imperative mood. He doesn’t ask us to consider trust as an option. He doesn’t invite us to discuss the idea. We are commanded to trust. We are commanded to trust him with all our heart, and not to lean on your own understanding. In all our ways, we are to acknowledge him, and he will make our paths straight.  We are not asked to understand; we are asked to trust the one who understands. We are not expected to know why; we are expected to trust the one who knows why. To this end, vs.7-8 says we are not to be wise in our own eyes, but to fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to our body and nourishment to our bones.
Conclusion

This year, our political leaders will let us down; our employers will let us down; our partners will let us down; our parents will let us down; our teachers will let us down; our church leaders will let us down; our friends will let us down. This is why Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “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.” In 2011, therefore, we should resolve to trust in his person, we should resolve to trust in his presence, and we should resolve to trust in his purpose.

Bernard Cartledge