How to navigate life…
What does it look like to put your trust in God? ‘
Putting your complete trust in Him is what is needed in order to live a joyful life “in the world”.
Remember, we are not to be conformed to this world, but we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). For this, we need to trust in Him completely, because our bodies and our experiences are firmly planted in the world. Though we are to walk a different path than the rest of the world, we still need to live in the world, and in order to do that, we need to trust in Him to provide for us (no greed), protect us (no fear), guide us (no worry), and keep us safe.
There are many, many verses in the Bible that deal with trust, but for me, it took a while for complete trust to sink in. I still struggle with it almost daily. And when I struggle, I remind myself if Jesus’s words in Luke 22:42 “not my will, but yours, be done”.
I think that human nature naturally wants to control everything, it is only when we realize that, in reality, we can actually control nothing, that we begin to learn to truly trust in Him. After all, He has great plans for us. He has plans to prosper us and not to harm us (Jeremiah 29:11).
His will will always be done, one way or another, and it is best that we learn how to trust in Him and ride out the waves of life in the shadow of the Almighty (Psalms 91:1) than to try, fruitlessly, to make life go as we expect that it should all of the time.
Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV states: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths”.
What does this verse mean to you? For many, trusting does not come easy, especially when life seems out of your control or beyond your ability to cope. How much harder then is trusting with all your heart? It would be immeasurably harder if you were asked to trust a person this way. However, people are fallible – even though they may try their best not to be- but God is not. God never fails, so trusting in Him with all your heart will never disappoint.
How then does one not “lean to their own understanding”? Isn’t that how most people navigate life? By using their own understanding of the situation and acting accordingly? Why then, does the Bible advise not to do this? Because there are none that can understand God’s perfect plans for us. No one can grasp just how much He has done for us or how far-reaching His acts for us truly are. How can one understand the instincts of a honeybee, the creation of the hydrogen/oxygen cycle, the soil’s microbial ecosystem, or the soul’s longing for the love of God? None can. Just as no one can understand and grasp the complete and wondrous inner workings of the human body, no one can understand the mind of God or the plan He has set in motion for us. So, we cannot lean to our own understanding of the world, because we are the created, not the Creator. We must instead trust in His great love for us that “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)
As Proverbs urges, we must acknowledge Him. In every situation, every crisis, every joy, every moment – in all ways.
Do not trust in yourself, or others, but trust in the Lord and He will see you through any situation you may be faced with today. Complete trust in Him equals complete peace for you.