Proverbs, chapter 3, is filled with exhortations to obedience, to faith, to humiliation, to devotion, and to patience.  The exhortation in verses 5-6 are particularly sweet to the soul and well known by many believers.  Those verses say, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” 

Truly, all believers trust in the Lord, but the exhortation here is to trust Him will ALL thine heart.  True wisdom is found in our trusting the Lord completely with every aspect of our lives.  We read in Proverbs 28:25, “He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat.”  To be ‘made fat’ is to literally be ‘made prosperous.’  Not necessarily prosperous in worldly things, but prosperous in the Lord’s things, realizing more deeply the benefits of knowing the Lord and walking according to His will. 

The Lord, speaking through Moses says in Deuteronomy 6:5, “And thou shalt LOVE THE LORD THY GOD WITH ALL THINE HEART, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”  I daresay we must love the Lord will all our heart before we truly can trust Him with all our heart.  Once we know the Lord and love Him with all we have and are, we will find it easy to trust Him with all we have and are.

To trust the Lord completely, we must learn to distrust ourselves.  To ‘lean’ upon our own understanding means to ‘rely’ upon our own understanding.  We are warned in Proverbs 16:25, “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”  When we follow our natural instincts, instead of trusting in the Lord’s guidance, we will soon find that the end of our path is only death.  The Lord deemed it appropriate to repeat this warning to us in Proverbs 16:25.  How important is this truth that the Lord repeats it to impress it upon our minds and hearts. 

To ‘acknowledge’ the Lord is to seek His wise guidance.  We read in Psalm 37:5, “Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.”  When we acknowledge the Lord, or commit our way unto Him, He will lead us in the proper path He has laid out for us.  The psalmist proclaimed in Psalm 34:4, “I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” 

The value of this exhortation in Proverbs 3:5-6 cannot be overstated.  It is no surprise that many believers love these verses and have committed them to memory.  I encourage you to do the same and walk in the wisdom of these powerful words from the Lord.  (CC)  (507.2)