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By Kenneth Hall

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Proverbs 3:5-6

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

Proverbs 3:5-6, quoted above, is a very popular, well-loved Scripture. Many believers call it their favorite, echoing a powerful message of trusting God completely for guidance in a Christ-centered life.

It is commonly quoted, memorized, and referenced—but is it truly “lived out”? What does it really mean? Let’s start at the beginning: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart…” What exactly is trust? Is it a feeling, an emotion, or a decision? To truly trust God, must we feel something, or is it a choice of the will?

I believe it is the latter: trusting the Lord is a decision of the will, not dependent upon circumstances. Reflecting on the last decade, my extended family and I have faced a litany of troubles: untimely deaths, physical and mental health challenges, job loss, and more. Thankfully, by the grace of God, many of those woes were overcome or are being managed well.

Trust in the Lord has been paramount in waging war against these challenges. He is steering us through them all, though not without heartache and loss.

Leaning on this passage—and not on our own understanding—means relinquishing control to God in all areas of our lives: direction, purpose, emotions, hopes, and dreams. It’s surrendering it all to Him. To many, trusting God seems risky, or at least they behave that way.

Do you trust strangers more than God? You may scoff at such a question, but think about it.

Every time we drive, we exercise immense faith. We trust hundreds of our fellow drivers to “do the right thing,” despite human unpredictability. In Texas, this trust is tested daily; there hasn’t been a fatality-free day since November 7, 2000. (No, that is not a typo.)

Even driving perfectly, variables like distracted drivers, animals, or inclement weather remain beyond our control. If we can place such significant faith in fallible strangers, how much more should we trust God?

Leaning not on our own understanding is an exercise in humility. When we acknowledge Him in all ways, we simply recognize the obvious: God is sovereign. Nothing, large or small, significant or otherwise, is beyond His holy purview. Our limited human understanding cannot compare in any way, form, or fashion.