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. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NAS)
Do you remember when you were 16 years old and knew everything? I thought my parents just didn’t understand life or people like I did. It only took a couple of disappointments and a few gray hairs for me to realize I just might not know everything. I’ve come to grips with the truth that the older I get, the less I know. I need to pay attention to what Solomon—the wisest man to ever live—wrote, Don’t trust in what you think you know but trust God who knows all things!
Do you want to know something crazy? It’s possible to know the right choice you should make before you have to make a decision. Solomon said to trust in the LORD with all our heart rather than trusting in what we think we understand. Solomon didn’t mean we should turn off our brains and approach life ignorantly or to ignore common sense. Trusting God means we face life grounded in the wisdom of God.
When faced with a decision, there are three very important conditions we need to take into consideration. First, we are to check our hearts to see if we are trusting God alone or trusting in our ability to understand mixed with our selfish desires. It’s easy to trust God when His will matches our will. But what if our desires conflict with His desires? Who will we trust?
Next, we are to acknowledge Him in all we do. The Hebrew definition for acknowledge is “to know, to discern, to be acquainted with, or to be aware of.” If we are acquainted with God’s ways, we will immediately know if what we want in this life conflicts with what God desires for us. Remember the popular phrase, “What would Jesus do?? Well, that’s exactly what we need to ask when facing life’s decisions. If we love God with all our hearts and trust Him, it’s difficult to consider doing something He wouldn’t want us to do.
And finally, the only way to know what God wants is to know what God’s Word says. As you read the Bible, you will find out what God loves and doesn’t love. When we discover the heart of God, we discover His will.
When we view decisions through the lens of these three conditions, then and then alone, can we rest knowing we will make the best decisions. Often we hurry to make decisions based upon our selfish desires and then ask God to bless our decisions. We need to seek God’s direction before we make our decisions. As I reflect on my life, I recognize that I enjoyed God’s peace with no regrets when I faithfully sought His heart and trusted in Him to lead me. I would rather trust God than face life trusting my own limited ability to know what is best for me. The Bible says God has a plan for all of us, and I believe it’s wise to look into His plan. And once we know His plan, we can trust Him to fulfill it.
Further Reading
Proverbs 16:3, 9; Proverbs 19:21, Proverbs 21:5
