Proverbs 3:5-6 is a Scripture that has been on my heart lately so today I thought I would share with you an entry from my Drawing Near to God devotional about this verse. No matter what situation we might find ourselves facing today, it is important that we remember to seek the Lord and His wisdom, trusting in Him completely.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
Proverbs 3:5
Sometimes it is the way we perceive a situation that causes us to be anxious. We try to determine with our own understanding what is going on. It is just human nature that our perspective is filtered by our past experiences, both good and bad. Paul was clear in his letter to the Corinthians that the wisdom of the world is foolishness to God. (I Corinthians 1:20) We must not lean on our own understanding, but instead, we must trust in God to reveal truth, to dispel lies, and to lead us on a straight path. Sometimes trust has been eroded by past disappointments, like when we have chosen to trust someone, only to have that person let us down. We erroneously equate our experiences with people with the truth of God’s Word.
Are you willing to come out from under the law, recognize God’s truths, and trust Him to care for you? Peter knew as he wrote his letter to the scattered exiles that they needed to trust the Lord completely if they were to sustain the difficult times ahead and be a light to a broken world. The enemy will use our false perceptions to disrupt relationships and cause division. Recently, I filtered something my daughter said to me and decided that I was a terrible mother. When I spoke to the Lord about it and committed it to prayer, I recognized that I had believed a lie based on my false interpretation and perception of what she had said. The Lord showed me an area of weakness in me that desired to be the perfect mother, and I used that filter to misinterpret what my daughter had said. When we lean on our own understanding, we can be fooled because our understanding is sometimes askew. But when we turn to the Lord for truth and wisdom, He brings us clarity and understanding. He is in the business of building up, and the enemy is in the business of tearing down.
Heavenly Father,
Give me wisdom and direction today and keep me from my faulty reasoning and understanding. Where I have faulty perceptions, bring me Your truth.
In Jesus’ name, Amen
