“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5)

Have you ever noticed that when you depend on your own understanding it impedes your ability to trust in the Lord with all your heart? For instance, you hear some bad report on the nightly news and you think you know exactly what it really means and suddenly you’re worrying about it. Or you hear that car pumping out that music as it drives down your street and you just know those sounds mean something bad is happening. Our own understanding of things can lead to a lot of worry, and when we worry we are telling God that we don’t trust Him. Worry grows in the absence of trust, and if we immediately jump to our own understanding, we will hinder our ability to trust the Lord with all of our heart.

“Those who trust their own insight are foolish, but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe.” (Proverbs 28:26)

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

The next time you feel worried about something or you find yourself not trusting God, check if you are depending on your own understanding of things. If you are, take Paul’s advice: don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done; in doing this you are acknowledging that He is in charge and has always been there for you. When we do this we will experience God’s peace which will exceed our own understanding, which is what we are trying to stop depending on! When we give up our understanding of things, when we stop depending on how we see the situation, then we start to fully trust God with all of our heart. 

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

—Redeemed