Proverbs is the built-in daily devotional of the Bible: thirty-one chapters, so reading one a day takes you through the book every month. Every time I read it, in a different season of life, the Holy Spirit opens up a phrase I hadn’t noticed. Today’s verses are two you’ve seen on coffee mugs, tapestries, and hats.
“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 (NKJV)
It’s a verse and a half of direction, followed by a promise.
Trust Comes First
Trust works a bit like looking for a job that requires experience. You can’t see the promise fulfilled until you trust, and trusting is hard until you’ve seen it. So God asks us to take the first step. He wants our obedience and our love, and he doesn’t force either.
With All Your Heart
In the Old Testament, the heart isn’t just feelings. It’s the command center: your thinking, your desires, your habits, your decisions. God is less interested in how you feel when you leave church on Sunday than in the decisions you make on Monday.
Lean, Don’t Discard
“Lean not on your own understanding” doesn’t say don’t use your understanding. Solomon urges us to get wisdom, and James says to ask God for it. The point is not to lean on it, like a cane or a wall. Bring your decisions and circumstances to God, and lean on him as you work through them.
In All Your Ways
Look at the word “all.” There’s nothing to the left of it, nothing to the right, nothing above or below. In all your ways acknowledge him, or, as the NIV puts it, submit to him. That means inviting God into everything.
Does that include where to go for lunch? You don’t have to ask. But he won’t say, “I’m busy, figure it out.” He wants that kind of relationship.
The Promise
“He shall direct your paths,” says the NKJV, and the NIV says he will “make your paths straight.” Without direction, we’re like squirrels chasing shiny objects. God lights up the steps we need to take, and he flattens the path a little.
What he doesn’t promise is to remove every obstacle or move the mountain. He promises to be with you through it.
Our Part and God’s Part
We have no control over the promise. That’s God’s to give. What we control is the formula, the first verse and a half: trust, lean, acknowledge. It follows the same pattern as giving, where God invites us to test him. I’ve never heard anyone say they gave faithfully and then couldn’t make it through.
I spent years leaning on my own understanding. When I finally stopped, when I finally submitted and acknowledged him, the whole world opened up and I could see more clearly. That’s my prayer for you: that you would take yourself off the throne of your own life and hand the authority to God.
You can catch this devotional and every weekday message live on carltondewaynedunko.com, Monday through Thursday at 9:15 AM Eastern. DeWayne also co-hosts the original 9:15 Devotional, where you'll find the full video archive and more ways to connect.