Do you ever fight against fear in your life? Fear of the unknown, fear of the known, fear from the past, fear of the future, fear of that which you can control, fear of that you can’t—all these plague us at one time or another, sometimes all at once! The good news is that God has given us the manual with the answers to every situation we face. Here is a good start for combating fear.
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.Proverbs 3:5-6
What does it mean to trust? Remember the analogy of trust being like sitting in a chair? So, trust is putting your full weight on something. No part of your weight is on anything else. You are acting as if that chair is true, that it will not collapse under your weight. Isn’t it the same with God? We are commanded to put our trust in the LORD (which, by the way, refers to God’s self-sustaining, eternal qualities), to put our full weight on the belief that what He says is true. We exhibit this belief, this faith, by acting as if it is true. We put His Word to the test in our lives and prove its veracity.
Uh oh. The next verse says “lean not.” If trust is putting your full weight on something then leaning is splitting your weight between two things. This happens when you get tired and start to give up or stop believe that the chair (the LORD) will hold true. Your own insight (your distorted reality, how you view the world from your experiences) becomes the substitute for what God says.
Look at your life today and this past week. Have your actions exhibited full weight on God’s Truth? Or have you convinced yourself you are walking by faith, all the while inserting your own view of the world and acting on that instead? The more we put our weight on God, the more He directs our paths! Let’s strive to rest on His everlasting Truth.
Laura started attending Lehigh Valley Baptist Church as a child when her family moved to the area. For years, her primary passion was in nursing and furthering her education. In the midst of pursuing a medical degree, God changed her plans and she married Jonathan Snow (read their story here). Now, she has discovered a special fulfillment from being a wife and a mother! Truly, God’s ways are always for our good and for His glory.