Bulletin Articles
Proverbs 3:5
PROVERBS: 3.5
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
Trust in people depends on our life stage, information type, and circumstances. We may be afraid to trust others with our sins as it could lead to loss of status, we are afraid to trust people even God with our decision-making. Understandably, God gave us the ability to reason, and knowledge, but our wisdom has limitations. So, having a trusted friend or father for our deepest secrets and life decisions is a great blessing. Proverbs 3:5 encourages us to trust completely in the Lord with all our heart, bringing our decisions to him in prayer. We know his character, he will never fail us, and he keeps his promises. Trusting in him helps us find solutions and brings peace to our hearts. When faced with difficulties, it’s easy to make the mistake of thinking that everything depends on us, but the real solution is to put our trust in the Lord.
Our circumstances are temporary, but God's promises are eternal. In Exodus 17:2-4, the Israelites quarreled with Moses, as they focused on their circumstances that hindered their trust in God. I think sometimes complaining about our circumstances is a blind spot that prevents us from remembering God’s goodness. It’s like a fog, our vision is limited and we cannot see through it, but God’s vision is unlimited, he sees beyond that. Habakkuk 3:17-18: irrespective of the circumstances he remained firm in the Lord, not panicking, trusting in his feelings, or circumstances but in his faith in the Lord. Even when everything did not make sense, he drew his strength from the Lord and leaned on him with all his understanding. This is an archetype of Philippians 4:13.
Paul, while in jail, encouraged the Philippians to trust in the Lord in all circumstances. Trusting in the Lord brings greater good, and we should focus on him rather than our circumstances. Our circumstances can be deceptive unless we view them from God's perspective. We know that they produce endurance, thus, I think we need to take advantage of our trials and challenges to glorify God and depend solely on him.
As believers, we should trust in the Lord in all circumstances, not because we understand them, but because it is God's will in Jesus Christ. Even if everything around us seems to be lost or without a sense of direction, God knows what is best for us and he leads the circumstances of our lives in such a way that in the end, what happens to us may be exactly what we need to become the person who he wants us to become, his image. Trusting in God with all our heart and understanding is the best choice for our lives.
