“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”— Proverbs 3:5-6(NLT).
Proverbs 3:5-6 is one of my favorite scriptures. I’ve posted it on my computer monitor. I have it memorized as a daily reminder. As I’ve grown spiritually, letting go of the need to be in control, I’ve learned to lean on God.
In a recent “Bible Study Tools” article I read, the author gives readers seven daily steps to trusting God with all your heart. Following this advice each day will enable you to have a greater trust in where God is leading you and why.
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- Don’t depend on you. “We live in a world where trust must be earned and seems to be in short supply,” says the author. But wise King Solomon, who wrote Proverbs, knew that trust is where we must start (see Proverbs 3:5). Disappointments teach us to depend upon ourselves. However, “living the life God has called us to means unlearning that lesson—to rest in God’s understanding” and not our own.” But, what if we don’t feel like we can trust Him completely? The author says, “That’s where step two comes in.”
- Cry out to God. “Surrendering to God begins with our lips and our thoughts,” the author adds. We need to cry out to Him to show we depend on Him (See Proverbs 3:6). When we pray, we’re confessing His ways are better. When we surrender our lives to Him, we have to remember step three.
- Run from evil. “So much in our world can clutter our relationship with God,” the author says. In 1 John 2:16, the writer describes “them as the desires of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes and the pride in our lives.” They become stumbling blocks when we think we deserve them to be happy. Instead, life works best when we remember God is the source of our blessings.
- Put God first in your life. We’re selfish beings; even so when we put God first, trusting everything we own to His keeping, including our money, we’re admitting how much we depend on Him.
- Check yourself by God’s Word. We’re not so good at evaluating ourselves. I know I’m not. We make excuses for our behavior. If we are to truly trust God, we need to know where we stand by studying His Truth.
- Listen to the Holy Spirit. As we go through our day, the Holy Spirit guides us. That means we’re never alone if we will listen (John 14:26).
- Rest in God’s Love. Living in a difficult world often makes us wonder if God even cares. You might ask, “Where is God when I need Him?” Solomon reminds us God never leaves us to fend for ourselves.
Even in the midst of turmoil, God is with us, using our challenges to teach us how to trust in Him with all our hearts. It takes whole-hearted commitment each day but we’re never alone (Matthew 28:20b).