“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
The past few weeks have been hard. I think as a people, as a nation, as a world, and as a community we have gone through a lot. School shootings are ravishing the news, there are chemical and nuclear war threats, the ever present issues of global warming, terrorism, and corrupt political leaders. These and thousands upon thousands of other depressing news headlines are filling our heads. Being a student, the past few weeks have been saturated in debates about gun laws and threats being made against my school and others. In one word, I would describe the feeling at this time as hopeless.
It’s funny how God works in times like these. Last night I was talking to my pastor about all the threats, what people have been saying, and how much anxiety it is bringing me. We talked about how my friends are reacting, what the school is doing, and the overall community. After talking to him, I got in my car and switched the radio from the country station to christian. I knew I could use a little bit of hope in my drive home on this hopeless night, so I traded Thomas Rhett for Casting Crowns.
Normally, when I hear talking on the radio, I start scanning for a new station. So when I turned on the christian radio and heard a woman’s voice, I reached for the dial. But this time, I stopped and listened.
The woman on the radio was talking about encouragement. She read a few verses, including the one above, Proverbs 3:5-6. I have heard these two verses thousands of times. I’m sure you have, too. But they have never hit me so hard or meant so much to me until I heard them last night.
I have been forced so many times in the past few weeks to give an opinion on things that I a) don’t really care about or b) don’t understand. I try to articulate words that are loving yet slightly impartial, but always end up coming across as biased or judgemental. I end up basing my opinion on my perceived understanding of the facts. I say this or that about gun laws or women’s rights and suddenly, everyone is up in arms. I can never come up with the right thing to say on my own.
When I heard this verse, I realized that it seems like I have been messing up so much lately because I am leaning on my own understanding. I am not trusting God to take care of these situations. I am not trusting that he has all of these issues in his hands and that he has our futures planned. The verse tells us he will direct our steps and make our paths clear, we need only trust him. If I trust him to take care of me, he will make the right choice known to me at the proper time.
I found this definition for “trust in the Lord” and I think it is important to understand what trust is if we are going to be giving our whole lives to him. So to trust in God is to “wholly and securely rely upon God’s wisdom, power, and goodness, and upon his providence and promises, for direction and help in all thine affairs and dangers.” (That’s from the Benson Commentary on the English Bible) That’s a lot. It is fully giving yourself over to God. But he is God and he deserves every ounce of praise we have in our bodies. When we trust God, we are relying on the creator of the universe to see us through and guide our steps. It is comforting that the person who made stars and planets is the one helping me when hard topics come up in conversation.
I have found that trusting in God only works when you are in communication with him. You cannot trust someone that you do not know. It is so cliche, but reading your bible is the best way to tap into God’s truth. I found Proverbs 3:5-6 and it is helping me immensely, so do not underestimate your bible simply because you do not want to take the time to open it.
Praying is also a huge help. I asked God for guidance and I am certain that he is the one who made the lady on the radio station say these verses. And then encouraged me to listen and not switch station purely so I could hear his response to my prayers! God works in crazy ways like that, you just need to be receptive to hearing it!
Another thing is knowing when to be quiet. It is not necessary to give an opinion on everything and, oftentimes, it is best. Ask God to give you wisdom to discern when you should speak out or not. If you do speak up during hard conversations, ask God that your words be his words and that whatever you say is bringing him honor and glory.
Life is hard. Things come up and radically change the way we live. But in every trial and storm, God is our constant. Do not lean on your own understanding, trust in him! He is good and steadfast and he will guide your steps and see you through! You are not alone in this. You are never alone.
