“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know Him, and He will make your paths straight.” – Proverbs 3:5-6
Remember that “heart” in Old Testament passages like this does not refer merely to one’s emotions. “Heart” points to one’s will, not just feelings. That’s what is emphasized in 1 Samuel 13:14 when the Lord says He has found a man “after His own heart.” It also helps us to see what is at stake in Proverbs 3. To “trust in the Lord with your heart” is to bend your will to match His, to subordinate your understanding of what it is best to His. The rest of the proverb makes this clear…
“Don’t be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. This will be healing for your body and strengthening for your bones.” – Proverbs 3:7-8
Leo Tolstoy put it this way, “wrong does not cease to be wrong because the majority share in it” (A Confession, 1882). But the pressure of peers and culture is not the only path to be “wise in your own eyes.” What we fear is what drives us down the path to trusting ourselves. As anxiety reaches epidemic proportions in our culture, it is no wonder that the majority find themselves “wise” in their own eyes. The way to find healing and strengthening is to bend one’s will to the Lord’s. Nowhere is that more difficult and obvious than in the matter of our money…
“Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the first produce of your entire harvest; then your barns will be completely filled, and your vats will overflow with new wine.” – Proverbs 3:9-10
It is a truism here and a promise in Malachi 3:10. When we put the Lord first with our money, He promises to provide generously. Perhaps a few will naturally feel the desire to give. For most, it is an act of faith and obedience, something to be done as an exercise of bending our will, not following our feelings. Like a wise father anticipating the response of his son to unpleasant instruction, the proverb continues…
“Do not despise the Lord’s instruction, my son, and do not loathe His discipline; for the Lord disciplines the one He loves, just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.” – Proverbs 3:11-12
It is because the Lord considers you His child that He confronts you with the truth and invites you to bend your will to His…all the way. He invites you to trust your will to Him, your fear to Him, and your money to Him…but most importantly, He invites you to trust Him as your loving and wise Father.
Think These Things 