Verse of the Day - Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths. ~ Proverbs 3:5-6(NLT)

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Okay, so this is uncanny. Well, no, it's actually just God. He's always doing stuff like this, weaving events and themes together so that we really "get it". He's very creative and very pursuant. Keep your eyes open in your own life...you'll see how He works.

Yesterday, I met with a brand new friend from church. We had a great time getting to know each other and share life experiences over Starbucks coffee! She's just become a true follower of Jesus (praise God!), so there's a lot that's new to her. The Bible is now a wide expanse of God-ocean wisdom and knowledge just waiting to be explored, and she's excited about it! She told me a pastor had shared a Bible passage with her that was really speaking to her. Can you guess what that was? Sure -- Proverbs 3:5-6. I knew it and recited it to her, and then we talked about what it means to trust God, for real.

This passage is probably very familiar to those who've known the Lord for a long time and have been in Bible Study or studied the Word on their own. I was able to recite it, and maybe many others can, too. But -- is it more than just a memory verse to you? Is it how you live? Can you share stories of putting that into action in your life? Of really laying a circumstance into God's hands, and believing deep in your heart that He is capable of good counsel, that He is the best manager for your life?

We can say we trust God and not our own understanding, but how does that play out in real life, huh? We can chant the mantra, "I trust you, God...I trust you, God...I trust you, God...", and then get up off of our proverbial knees and promptly do our own thing. Trusting God is more than a prayer of words; it's a complete life reorientation! It's presenting Him with your life situations and letting Him be the boss, letting Him make the decisions, letting Him drive your life car. Like I told my new friend (who I told might end up in my VOTD someday...just didn't know it would be the very next day! :-), God has the map of the future and knows where to go -- we don't have the map! And not only does He have the map, but He's good and perfect and loving. Do you think He'd steer you off course into a ditch?

Okay, let me rethink that. He might steer you into a ditch, if He knew that the tow truck driver needed to hear a word from the Lord, and you were just the right person to share it with him! See, when you sign on with God through the transforming work of Jesus Christ, you get more than just a new house for your heart...you get a brand new road trip of life!

"Johnny, tell them what they've won!"...

"That's right, Stan -- no, it's not a brand new car...it's a brand new way of life! No more saving and storing for what you want...check out this baby...(curtain pulls back and confetti falls from the ceiling)...it's a shiny new agenda!"

As you get more and more used to trusting God for where to go and how to operate, you may find yourself in places and situations that leave you feeling like God doesn't have His act together...like, what have I gotten myself into? Part of what "leaning on our own understanding" means is that we humans tend to think horizontally. We tend to live in a "cause and effect" mode. When life is good with our creature comforts surrounding us, we think this is an effect of our good behavior or good standing with God. When life stinks like a rotten egg and we're struggling left and right, we think this an effect of some sin we've forgotten to confess or some other podium we've fallen off of in God's eyes.

Yes, it's true that we need to live God-honoring lives in right living because that is God's desire for us, and yes, we need to check our heart and mind and make sure God's not trying to get our attention through difficult circumstances. BUT -- God never said His way was a walk in the park or a bed of roses. Just ask Jesus.

He trusted His Father and took a dreadful walk up a hill and laid his head down on a bed made of wood...and was staked there with nails. God's agenda was to rescue mankind from their sin, forever. So, Jesus laid aside His creature comforts of heaven and trusted in God, through all He suffered here on earth. His Father was the manager, and He was the servant. And Jesus is our role model for trust and obedience.

But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels. ~ Isaiah 53:10-12 (NLT)

Interceded for rebels. Ain't it the truth?

Many of life's challenges aren't addressed in Gods' word. You can't go to your concordance and find the passage that tells you whether to take that job in New York, or go for your Masters. So it's easy to just make these life decisions on our own, simply because it's not clear-cut in the Bible what to do. But beware of your own understanding...it's limited and fraught with error. I know -- been there and definitely done that. :-\

Life will throw you curves, but don't get thrown off track. Keep trusting God to guide you, listening to His spirit speak to your spirit. I know that He speaks to me through a sense of peace or lack thereof in my spirit, which helps me stand up and take notice of where I'm going and whether I'm trying to read the map myself or letting God be in charge.

Trust God with all your heart. He's the best at what He does, which is everything...we, on the other hand, have issues. Do I need to ask for an amen to that? (lol) No -- we all know it's true. So, we need to get busy and practice this trusting God thing, because it doesn't happen automatically. There is no magic wand. It takes work. Hard work. But it's so worth it, when we begin to think toward God more naturally than toward ourselves. A road trip is much more enjoyable when you're not spending all your time getting lost.

Love,
Joelene