Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. [Proverbs 3:5, ESV]
This verse has been one of my favorite verses for a while now, and it has helped me cope during times where I have felt like my life has been out of control, like I am all alone, and when I have no idea where to go anymore. This verse has been especially useful when I have felt the Lord put something on my heart. When God shows us something, it stays with us, no matter what happens. When I first heard the Lord speak to my heart concerning a certain situation I was in, I was really confused. On one hand, what God spoke to my heart was incredibly encouraging, but I did not want to entertain it because of how unlikely it seemed. I tried to ignore what God spoke to my heart, I tried to go and do something else, but God would not let me forget what He had said to me. I am not sure how to describe the feeling I felt whenever I was about to do something that would go against what God had told me to do. What I can say is that the feeling of disobeying the Lord is a feeling that I cannot experience for long. It takes a few moments (at the most) for that feeling to wear away at what confidence I had in what I was going to do.
So, I cannot disobey God, but I cannot understand how what He has said to me could ever come to fruition. In times like that, I remember this verse. I remember this verse, and I remind myself not to lean on my own understanding. When I forget what I understand, I can more easily trust in the Lord.
This verse contains two parts:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart.
Do not lean on your own understanding.
The key to applying this verse in your life is to separate the verse into two parts, then work toward the two parts at the same time. As you trust in the Lord, you should not be trusting your understanding as much. When you give up on trying to understand things, you end up trusting God more. As you work on one of the aforementioned parts, you are working on the other part as well.
On the other hand, if you begin to focus on what you can understand, you begin to take away from the trust you have in God. If one does not actively seek to maximize the trust he puts in the Lord, he will lose whatever trust he had in the Lord to begin with.
As I have given my problems to God, I have seen a tremendous difference in the way I look at life. I used to be worried about everything, but I am not that way anymore. When I need something, I pray. Whenever I am scared, I pray. Whenever I am happy, I pray. No matter what, I make sure to talk to God about it. As I continue to seek the Lord, I can hear from Him more often, His Will becomes clearer to me, and I experience the joy and peace that come with walking in the Spirit. As I learn more about what God’s Will is for my life, I begin to take action, which draws me closer to God, which gives me more to work on, which gives me more joy, and so on.
In conclusion, trust in God. If God says something, have faith that it will be so. God is faithful, God loves us, and God will never forsake us. We can only see what is in front of us, but God sees everything. God knows each of us, He knows our hearts, He knows our thoughts, and He knows what is best for us. God knows the past, the present, and the future. Have faith, seek the Lord, and He will guide you.
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