Read: Proverbs 3:5-6

It has become a tradition around here to encourage our listeners and readers to join us in an exercise of reading through the book of Proverbs in the month of May: A Proverb a Day in May. There are 31 chapters in Proverbs and 31 days on the calendar, so the challenge is straightforward: read the chapter that corresponds with the day.

In lieu of this series, I thought it might be interesting to consider one of the most popular and frequently sighted Proverbs everybody knows. Proverbs 3:5-6 is one of my favorites and I think that it offers itself as a guide to the rest of the book.

Proverbs 3:5-6, “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 straight your paths.”

There have been a number of people who have recently brought up the question of how to determine God’s will for their lives. Perhaps it was due to our recent study in the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus is so steadfast in His resolve to do the will of the Father who sent Him, and His repeated call for us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. 

We might be tempted to think that Jesus had a distinct advantage. He knew exactly what God wanted Him to do. We often struggle with discerning God’s specific will in our lives. Maybe if we had such clarity we wouldn’t get so bent out of shape straining to figure out what is required for us to do. Except the fact is that God has given us plenty of instructions on what He wants from His children, but we often disregard it. 

A RESOUNDING ANTHEM

To ‘trust in the LORD with all our heart’ and ‘acknowledge Him in all our ways’ could be rephrased throughout the Scriptures in various forms. At its core, it is an instruction to “Walk by faith.” It is calling us to submit ourselves to the will of God for our lives and promising that we will be blessed if we do so. 

The rejection of this wisdom is at the very heart of the first sin in the Bible. Adam and Eve doubted the command of God to not eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and chose to follow the counsel of the serpent rather than obey the will of God. Herein lies the problem that resurfaces in our own lives: we are constantly at war with surrendering our own will and doing what God wants when our flesh is telling us to go our own way. 

As Solomon is writing these words to his son, he is repeatedly warning him to walk the straight and narrow. If we look at the surrounding context we can see that all of the instruction follows a similar theme: “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments,” “Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart,” “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce,” and “My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline or be weary of His reproof” (Proverbs 3:1-7). All of these instructions center around guarding our hearts, ordering our affections, and committing ourselves to do what God has ordained is right. 

Often when I am doing counseling, I am confronted with the problem an individual is facing. As far as they are concerned, the situation they presented is the only area of their life where I am given permission to shed any light or insight. However, the issue they are disclosing is rarely the root of the problem. It is just the tip of the iceberg. Whenever I probe into areas of their life which pertain to daily devotions, prayer, corporate worship, fellowship with other believers, etc, they want to redirect me to the issue they consider is their imminent concern. 

Solomon agrees with Jesus and the whole counsel of Scripture that our problems are not what is on the surface, but what is deep down in our hearts. If we want to know God’s will and how to navigate through trials and tribulations, we have to know the heart of God. That requires that we are reading His Word, praying without ceasing, and fellowshipping with other believers. If we want to know God’s plan for our lives, we have to walk by faith.

A GUARANTEED PROMISE

It’s important to note that the book of Proverbs is full of general truths. When it says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6), that is not a guarantee. Plenty of parents have done their absolute best to raise their children toward godliness, only to watch them walk away from the faith as prodigals. But when Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “He will make straight your paths,” that is something that you can take to the bank. 

There’s no secret to it. It’s not some hidden cheat code that is reserved for the most spiritual. It is a basic truth with a promise that is made to anyone who will heed these words. If we would follow God’s instruction, we would not veer off course. 

I can already hear the objections, “What about this scenario?” or “You don’t know what my circumstances are like.” How could I possibly make such a bold claim? Because of what the Bible says: “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (I Corinthians 10:13). If we will trust in the LORD and acknowledge Him in all our ways, He will lead us down the right path. 

The problem is that most of us don’t believe this. We hear what God expects of us as Christians and we find some excuse as to why it doesn’t pertain to us or our immediate concern. We don’t exercise the means of God’s grace and the spiritual disciplines because we think that we are able to address most of life’s challenges on our own. That is, until the circumstances become too great for us to handle. In other words, we lean on our own understanding, and we end up making a mess of what God had intended. It is not that the promises of God are untrue, but that we have decided that we are not going to follow Him, and we go our own way. If anything, this just proves the promise of God. By not trusting in Him, we have learned a valuable lesson from our own mistakes. This is a grace of God to show us that we were meant to apply Proverbs 3:5-6 in every area of our lives, even the most basic scenarios. 

The reason we find it so difficult to discern God’s will is that we have not been faithful in the little things. Then, when we halfheartedly try following God’s basic instructions for the Christian life and don’t see immediate results, we blame the process as though it is ineffective to give us what we want. A poor mechanic blames his tools when he cannot fix something. When it comes to knowing God’s will, we have to know His Word and do what it says. This requires a lifetime of learning and a posture of obedience. 

A PERFECT HOPE

The harsh reality is, we have all been down the long, winding, and bumpy road of life. And there are certainly going to be dips and turns in our future. This isn’t because God’s Word is not true, but because we haven’t fully learned our lesson to trust Him in every area of life. 

Fortunately, we have a savior who measured up to God’s standard in every way. The book of Proverbs is really pointing us to Jesus as our perfect example. He never once strayed off the path God prepared for Him. He was obedient even to the point of death, and He rose from the grave, proving that God is faithful to His promises. Jesus shows us what it looks like to walk the straight and narrow. He is seated at the right hand of the throne of God as a testimony of the reward for trusting in the LORD with all our heart. 

Someone asked me recently why we should worry and work on our spiritual growth if we are already saved. I understand the intent behind the question. Walking by faith in obedience sounds wearisome, challenging, and overwhelming. But we have all discounted the cost of leaning on our own understanding. How often have we ended up in an awful situation because we did not trust God and follow His way? How many future trials could we avoid if we were committed to following the simple steps of living in accordance with God’s will? Do we really think that the fleeting pleasures of this world are of greater value than the reward of living as God had intended? 

To answer my friend’s question: As true believers in the grace of God, we commit ourselves to do what is pleasing and honoring in His sight because it is the right thing to do. But we also accept and acknowledge that God’s plan for our lives is the best possible plan for us. His path is the only one that is truly safe. And His goals for life are the only ones with eternal rewards. 

Knowing Proverbs 3:5-6 is one thing, believing and living it is something else entirely. So join us in reading through a Proverb a day in May. Follow the instructions by faith with all of your heart, don’t rely on the leanings of your flesh, and look to Jesus as the example and hope of where God is leading us.