Trust

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.  Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.  It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones.  (Proverbs 3:5-8, NASB)

King Solomon, son of King David (so the book of of Proverbs begins) writes here in Chapter 3 about “trust in the Lord.”  He says you should do so “with all your heart.”  The Hebrew word for “all” there means “all!”  There’s no ambiguity in the meaning.  I’m to be whole-hearted in my trust in my God.  Further I’m not to count on my own confidence in situations.  I’ve seen where that goes.  “I’ve got this, God.”  No, I didn’t!  We’re to acknowledge Him in EVERYthing we do.  Why?  So He “will make your paths straight.” The straight path is used often in the Bible.  The shortest distance between two points.  The path of least resistance.  God wants to be involved in the minute details of our lives.  Business decisions, whether to retire, finances, moving the family.  He promises He’ll put us on the right path if we consult with Him.  Trust Him with all your heart. 

I did a Bible devotional just prior to the New Year called “Practicing The Presence Of God: Old Habits For A New Year.”  (By Dwell, found at the You Version app, or bible.com)  The study focused on the writings of a 15th century monk named Brother Lawrence.  He was a soldier before he joined the monastery, where he became a cook.  The premise of his life was that everything centered around God.  Whether cooking a meal, or cleaning pots, whatever he did, Brother Lawrence talked to the Lord about it.  His writings talk about his absolute joy in his relationship with God.  Brother Lawrence trusted in the Lord with all his heart, and God made his paths straight.  A book compiles Lawrence’s writings, and it’s called “The Practice of the Presence of God.”  I’d like to try to get it on Audible. 

Image, Proverbs 3:5-6. Found at Keith McGivern, https://medium.com/@keithmcgivern/trust-in-the-lord-with-all-thine-heart-and-lean-not-unto-thine-own-understanding-in-72c2c8ce2df1

King Solomon goes on in the text to caution the reader to be humble; and to “fear the Lord and turn away from evil.”  The result will be “healing to your body and refreshment to your bones.”  In my mind, humility, fear of the Lord, and resisting evil are indeed spiritually healing.  Those three are vital to having a personal relationship with the Father.  Solomon says that “fear of the Lord” is the prerequisite to wisdom.  

I’m still praying for physical healing from my ALS.  Since there’s no known cure, that would take a miracle from God.  But that’s the business He’s in.  Nothing is impossible with Him!  Should God decide to heal me in 2022, I have a list of things I’m going to do.  Number 2 is binge eating all the foods I’ve been missing, for a week, followed by a diet.  But the first thing I’m going to do is make Sue a cup of coffee. 

Whether He heals me or not, it all comes to trusting in the Lord.  Despite my ALS, I trust Him thoroughly.  He has made my paths straight.  He gives me hope for whatever is going to happen tomorrow.  God can do the same for you.