But I Trust God

Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

Proverbs 3:5-6 are two verses that I've known since I can remember. They seem to give such simple instruction, yet they are full of such power!

As I read these two verses, I find that I need to trust in the Lord and not lean on my own understanding. This is the first thing I need to learn.

What does this mean?

I've noticed in my life that if I trust God, I have peace. This peace I receive when I trust Him is a peace that gives me rest from the stress of the world. I no longer have to fear what tomorrow holds when I trust God.

Recently, I found myself stressing a lot! What happened was that I wanted things to go my way, so I stopped trusting God, and I began allowing weariness to creep in and steal my peace. I got mad when things didn't go my way. I was emotional mess, and I often times found myself getting horrible sleep because my mind and heart were not at ease.

Why was I so unsettled inside?

The answer comes down to this: I was not trusting God. I was leaning on my own understanding rather than realizing that God sees the big picture, so I don't need to fear. He is bigger than anything I could ever fear, and if I would simply trust Him, I could enjoy where I was at instead of living in anxiety.

As my boyfriend and I were writing to each other one day, I noticed the moment that peace began to come back into my heart. I don't remember the exact conversation, but in the middle of one of our conversations, we discussed life and our schedules, and then we said, "But I trust God!" These four simple words brought me more peace than anything else ever could! As I thought of this simple statement, I realized the peace that it could bring to any situation we face, whether big or small.

Some examples:

Funds are tight this month, and I don't know how we will afford to pay the bills we have, but I trust God!

My job is going to lay off some people. I don't know if I will have a job after this week, but I trust God!

Life has been crazy lately, and I don't know when things will slow down, but I trust God!

I have a big test coming up. I've done all the studying I can, yet I still don't know that I'll pass, but I trust God!

Regardless of any of our situations, when we trust God, we don't have to fear!

As we finish reading Proverbs 3:5-6, we go on to see how when we submit to God, He will make our paths straight.

In the scenarios above, having money to pay the bills isn't guaranteed... not getting laid off of a job isn't guaranteed... life going as we want isn't guaranteed... and passing a test isn't guaranteed. All of these things can steal our peace if we allow them to, but as we trust God, we can rest in knowing that even in the worst case scenario, God is still God! As long as we submit to God and do as He directs us to do, He will make our paths straight.

What is it that you are struggling with today? Are you stressed, fearful, or anxious about your life? I encourage you to take your situation and end it with this simple statement, "...but I trust God!"

Dear Heavenly Father,

The peace You've given me in the last few days has surpassed my human understanding! Lord, as I've let go of trying to be in control and I've trusted You rather than leaning on my own understanding, I've found true peace! Lord, You've shown me that I don't need to be anxious about my life. All I need to do is trust You and submit to Your ways. Lord, You know better than I do! You know not only what I want... You also know what I need. Thank You, God, that as I trust in You with all my heart... as I don't lean on my own understanding... and as I submit to you, I can enjoy where You have me today instead of worrying about tomorrow. I love You, Lord! I'm so grateful that I can trust You always!

I pray this in Jesus' Name.

Amen.