Reflection on Pro 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
There is wise counsel in the Book of Proverbs, which is rooted in age-old experience: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart.” God speaks to man through His word, but also secretly through various life situations. It is important to know first when exactly I should trust in the Lord. Above all, I should trust in Him in the face of trial. I should also trust in Him when asking for wisdom in a situation that is unclear and not easy to navigate. Our trust is then manifested in prayer.
Testimony: More than thirty years ago, a young man visited a group of believers. They encouraged each other, and then one of the believers asked the young man, “Why do you have a crutch?” He replied, “I’ve had a motorcycle accident and my knee won’t work properly any more. Thank God it wasn’t worse. I have to come to terms with that crutch, get used to it. My sick leave was not extended and due to that leg, I will be receiving a partial disability pension.” One of the brethren suggested, “Why not pray for it? Perhaps the Lord will enlighten us on this.” So they prayed, and after fifteen minutes the brother said, “These words keep resounding in my mind: ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.’” They continued praying, and the brother did his utmost to abide in the word, trusting with all his heart that God would glorify Himself and heal the sick brother. After a while, he said to the sick brother, “I really feel with all my heart that God wants to heal you. Trust in Him; we’ll pray for your faith.” And they continued praying. Then after a while again, the brother said to the brother who was sick, “Do you believe that Jesus is healing you now?” He smiled and said, “I believe!” “So let us praise the Lord!” All the brethren began to sing a song of praise with joy. The sick brother, who was sitting on a chair and holding his crutch while they were praying, now stood up, took a few steps, and waved his crutch joyfully over his head. After a couple of years, in a chance encounter, the brother asked him, “What about your leg, Tony?” He replied, “The Lord has healed me completely, I have not had any problems since. Doctors couldn’t believe I was well again.”
The second part of the verse says, “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
Indeed, the loving God watches over us in all our ways, giving us full freedom. We mostly set our heart on our own plans and forget about God. We only wake up when we are faced with trial or suffer some misfortune through our own fault. We could often have prevented it if we had sought God and recognized even in ordinary life situations that He, the loving God, is with us. May we learn from our mistakes. Many misfortunes were a warning against a far worse fall or tragedy. Sometimes we realize it, but then we forget again. A wise man will learn.
Let us remember that God accompanies us throughout our lives, from birth to the hour of our death. He surely accompanies us in all our ways. We need to know it and, above all, count on it. Let us ask Him for light, counsel and strength in fulfilling our daily duties. Thousands of wise and holy men and women before us happily went through life even in the face of severe trials. God did not forsake them even in the most difficult situations of life. Learn to trust in God, to trust in Him with all your heart and to acknowledge Him in all your ways.
Download: Reflection on Pro 3:5-6
