TRUSTING GOD!
Proverbs 3:5-6
INTRODUCTION:
Have you ever noticed how LIFE IS FILLED WITH QUESTIONS? Think about, I just asked you one. We’re always asking questions…we ask questions of each other — and we ask questions of God.
Asking questions is a sign of intelligence. And in some ways, it’s an art form.
New channels and reporters earn their money ASKING GOOD QUESTIONS. But it’s not just something professionals do — everyone asks questions. From the beginning of our lives, we ask questions. And it’s not even something we have to be taught to do. It’s almost an intrinsic response.
Think about it, everyone asks questions — even children. Some of you know this better than others. For some, their questions never end!
According to a recent British study, children ask an average of 73 questions a day. If you have a 3 or 4 year old living in your home…you might argue that they ask even more. But again, asking questions is actually a sign of intelligence. And it’s a great practice — both for the youngest and the eldest among us.
Years ago, I served on staff with a great pastor and friend. He taught me a lot about life and ministry. But he also taught me the value of asking good questions. He would say, if you know the questions to ask — then they’ll eventually lead you to the right answers and decisions for life. And so, while some people collected stamps or coins — my friend collected questions.
Now, there are some questions that are more important than others. Here’s a few of the NOT SO IMPORTANT — BUT CERTAINLY FUNNY QUESTIONS (from kids):
- “Why do we have to be born young and grow old, why can’t we be born old and get young?”
- This one tells you the age we’re living in — (as a Mom was baking cookies), her son looked through the oven window and asked, “Are those cookies loading?”
- Another mom says, he son asked: “Why did swear words get invented if we’re not allowed to say them?”
- A dad writes that his young boy asked: “How did people make the first tools, if they didn’t have any tools to begin with?”
- A mom said her son asked, “When you were little, did you have to stay inside because of COVIDs 1 through 18?”
- One mom says, “My daughter asked why we say “hang up the phone”—now I feel really old.”
- And my favorite, a mom says her 6yr. old asked, “Why can’t your car go as fast as daddy’s?”
Well, those are great questions, but I think as we get older our questions grow deeper, and become more personal. In time, most of us wonder:
“CAN GOD BE TRUSTED?”
After all, we live in a world filled with hardship, struggle, and disappointment…So, is there any rationale reason to trust in God?
Well, “TRUST,” is most often defined as: A belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of another.
And based on this criteria, we discover that God is certainly worthy of earning our trust. HE MEETS UP TO THE STANDARD OF TRUST!
But, he’s actually so much more. The Bible teaches that…
—God is completely reliable. He keeps His word and does what He says. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:9 and says simply that, “God is faithful.” Meaning you can count on Him. He is reliable. In Psalm 136, the psalmist says, “His love endures forever…”, meaning that God’s love can be counted on. It is faithful…and constant and continues day after day. Jesus said in Matthew 19, that no matter what, He would never leave us, never abandon us, and never turns away. So, while people may let you down. And life may let you down. God never will! He is reliable!
— But He is also true. God never lies…He never deceives. He never tries to shadow the truth or widen the grey areas of life. He is honest and direct, and He always keeps His Word. And the Bible says, there’s “no turning” or changing within Him. So, He is constant and remains the same. Jesus said of himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” So, again…you can trust in Him — because He IS truth! (So, He’s reliable, He’s truthful…and):
— He’s also able…More than able. No matter the details of your life or circumstances, god is able. And there’s nothing that trumps his power or surpasses His greatness. The Bible tells us that nothing is impossible with God! Paul said in Ephesians 3:20, that God is “able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine…” And so, as we discussed last week…His power knows no end! He is OMNIPOTENT!
So, for these reasons, and so many more — GOD CAN BE TRUSTED! He is reliable, true, and able. Simply put: HE IS TRUSTWORTHY!
MESSAGE:
Even so, have you noticed how we still seem to struggle with TRUSTING Him. We seem to operate from a position of doubt. It seems to be within our nature to distrust everyone…especially God. But, this isn’t new. Its not a contemporary problem. It’s been OUR WAY since the beginning of time. We can traced our distrust of God all the back to the early days of creation.
You might recall, in Genesis 3 — (while Adam and Eve were still living in the Garden of Eden), they were confronted by Satan…and in their temptation, they doubted God. They distrusted His goodness and His direction in their lives.
God had warned them to stay away from the Tree of Good and Evil. And while they could eat from every other tree in the garden — the fruit from that tree wasn’t good for them. But when the serpent tempted, they questioned God’s character. And in their doubt, they took matters into their own hands. And we all know how that turned out. But isn’t that what we do?
We doubt God’s goodness, we question His ability to keep His promises, and we reject His counsel. In the end, we take matters into our own hands.
Now, I know we say we trust God. But trust is more than empty words! It’s more than feelings. Trust is an ACT! Its about making a decision, and choosing to obey. It’s about walking in faith!
And so, this morning — I want to give your some guidance for TRUSTING GOD!
To do so, I want us to look at one of the more well-known passages of scripture. It’s found in the Old Testament book of Proverbs. And it’s just a single line of wisdom given to us by the ancient king Solomon. It’s found in Proverbs 3.
Here, in Proverbs 3:5-6, Solomon tells us:
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
What a great verse! In it, we find three practical ways to TRUST GOD — and ends with a promise! And, if you haven’t memorized this verse yet, I urge you to do so. Because, it can really impact your life.
Well, at the core of this passage is the importance of:
TRUSTING GOD!
So, how are we to do this? Well, Solomon says, first of all:
1. TRUST GOD WITH EVERYTHING!
Notice, Solomon is asking us to trust someONE, not simply someTHING. He says, “TRUSTGOD!” Not just anyone — but God. His God. The creator of heaven and earth. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The God his father David served. The God who had been so faithful to Him. He says,
“Trust in (HIM) the Lord (the ONE TRUE GOD…trust in HIM) with all your heart” (v. 5a)
So, trust God — and have confidence in Him.
The word ”TRUST” in Hebrew literally means ”to lie down on” or, ‘‘to stretch out upon.’’
Think about it like this — every night when you go to bed you lie down on something. Usually your bed.You stretch out on your mattress; you put your full weight down on your bed and never give a second thought to what you just did. You don’t put one foot on the floor, you don’t hold on to the frame, you just lie down. Now the same way you trust your bed is the same way you ought to trust God.
So, as Solomon pens these words — he’s inviting us to engage in a relationship of faith…where you have confidence in God’s ability to care for you. But don’t just trust Him with you thoughts or your words — TRUST HIM WITH ALL OF YOU! And that begins with your heart.
TRUST HIM WITH YOUR HEART — And all of it! I’ve heard it said that half-hearted faith is a synonym for wholehearted doubt. You’ve got to put your whole heart into trusting God.
This isn’t an invitation to a casual or long-distant relationship. It’s about TRUSTING GOD up-close and personally.
So, when he says, trust in the Lord with our heart — he’s calling us to closeness. This is more than just informational awareness, its about an emotional connectedness.
So, TRUST GOD WITH EVERYTHING! Trust Him with your HEART, MiND, STRENGTH and SOUL!
In addition, Solomon tells us to:
2. TRUST GOD ABOVE EVERYTHING!
In verse 5, Solomon continues to give instruction for trusting God when he says:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; (v. 5)
Lean not on your own understanding.
Solomon is reminding us that our “understanding” is simply not strong enough to support the weight of this life.
These days, it seems fairly common for people to boast in self-reliance and self-sufficiency. In fact no one likes to be told what to do and everyone seems to want to do it all on their own.
But the Bible warns us of being self-absorbed.
Solomon reminds us of the futility of trusting in ourselves, when he writes in Proverbs 28:26,
“Those who trust in themselves are fools,but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.”
There’s a self-help book on the market called, When Life Throws You a Curve Ball, Hit It. Simple advice, but it’s easier said than done.
The problem is, I don’t hit curve balls very well. Honestly, I don’t hit fast balls, or sliders, sinkers, or knuckle balls well either. I’ve never been much of a baseball player.
When it comes to my ability on the diamond, I’m less than impressive.
Years ago, I was asked to join our church’s slow-pitch softball league. And all was going well, until my pastor asked me to pitch. While practicing one day— I lobbed him a ball (and it barely made it over the plate). But, being the athlete he was, he reached out and made good contact with it. He hit it so hard and so fast, that it shot back at me like it had been fired from a cannon. And that line drive arrived before I could get my glove up to catch it. And the ball made solid contact with the end of my finger…fracturing it in multiple places. Listen, I’ve learned the hard way — that when it comes to playing ball, I’m not so good. Not in softball — and probably not in life either.
And that’s probably the case for most of us. When life throws curve balls, left on our own…we usually miss!
The good news is that Solomon says when life takes an unexpected turn, you don’t have to understand everything that’s happening. In fact, the worst thing you can do is try to handle things on your own.
When things happen that you don’t understand, that is when you need to put your trust in God.
Things may be happening in your life that you don’t understand right now. You don’t have to understand, you only have to trust God.
Trusting God does not always mean we will understand what he is doing or why he is doing it.
When Solomon uses the word — UNDERSTANDING, he’s talking about the mind. His counsel to you and me is to be careful not to allow our minds and our ideas to supersede God’s ideas and the mind of Christ.
Here’s the thing — God wants your mind — not just your heart. He wants all of you. But certainly, He wants to redeem your thinking.
God does not want you or your limited thinking and understanding to lead you away from trusting in Him.
We must avoid the temptation to trust ourselves. Self-sufficiency and self-dependence are characteristics of our fallen nature.
There’s a story that seems to embody the struggle and arrogance of our society.
It’s a story about a predicament that occurred one day on the sea, as a Naval captain looked through his binoculars across the sea one foggy night. Upon careful scan of the horizon, the captain found a light that seemed to be pointed directly to him. Assuming this was an oncoming ship, he immediately told his signalman to send a message, “Alter your course ten degrees south.” He promptly received a reply, “Alter your course ten degrees north.” The furious captain sent another message, “Alter your course ten degrees south. I am a captain!” Soon another reply was received, “Alter your course ten degrees north. I am seaman third class Jones.” The captain sent a final message, “Alter your course ten degrees south. I am a battleship.” The reply was, “Alter your course ten degrees north. I am a lighthouse.”
Let’s stop trying to direct our own lives. Let’s learn to TRUST GOD ABOVE EVERYTHING!
In addition, Solomon tells us to:
3. TRUST GOD IN EVERYTHING!
Again, verse 6 states:
“In all your ways submit to him”(v. 6a)
The word “submit or acknowledge” isn’t merely a polite tip of the hat to the Man Upstairs, or a few words of grace over your meal, or even perfunctory attendance at church to let Him know we’re still cool with what He’s doing. It’s way more.
Trusting God IN everything happens as you allow Him access, control, command, and involvement in all your ways.
This means to recognize that He is God and acknowledge His authority upon all things.
And not just in religious matters — but in all matters.
In every area of your life. It means to acknowledge God in your decision making, and in your personal life. It means to acknowledge God in your relationships, and in your marriage. It means that God is consulted in the decisions and considerations of everything you do within your family, and in your career, in your finances, and in every area of your life. It means EVERYTHING!
Acknowledge God in your future and ask Him to direct your paths. Keep him at the center point of all that you do.
This means to keep God at the forefront of your mind and in every event of your life. Godly living is not just for Sunday mornings.
In every area of your life, God needs to be first! You need to trust Him to lead and guide you throughout every moment and every decision you make. And that’s because leaving God out of one area of life can lead to destruction in other areas of life.
When you acknowledge God and TRUST HIM IN EVERYTHING…then there is a promise of blessing.
Which leads us to the last thought here in Proverbs 3:5-6. And it’s this:
Trust God with everything…above everything, in everything. And…when you do:
This Divine Promise is for You:
GOD WILL LEAD YOU THROUGH EVERYTHING!
And that promise is found at the end of verse 6. As the scripture states:
“…and he will make straight your paths.” — Proverbs 3:6b (NIV)
When you acknowledge God and TRUST HIM IN EVERYTHING…then God’s promise for you is that He will lead you through everything!
And what that means is that — HE WILL BE YOUR GUIDE! He won’t abandon you. He won’t take from you and run away. He will stick with you and lead you through each moment of life.
And isn’t that great news? But more than that — His promise is to make your path straight?
— Meaning, God will lead you straight towards His best for You! He will lead you towards the divine priorities and goals He has for you in this life.
You might think of this as God’s way of ensuring that your life has meaning. And that your life fulfills His eternal purposes for you.
— But it also means that He will direct you in your decision making. So, as you TRUST HIM, He will show you the way to go. He’ll point you in the way you should go. His Spirit will guide you like a divine-GPS through life. And as you walk — he will give you the reassurance that he is with you.
Listen, there’s rarely a season I go through that I don’t find myself needing to make BIG DECISIONS. And as I do, I’m grateful I can look to the Lord for guidance. I can pray, I can read His Word, I can seek counsel through His people, and through it all — He promises to guide me along the way.
It really takes the pressure off of me having to be the ALL-KNOWING ONE. Because I know I serve the ALL-KNOWING ONE. And He has promised to guide my steps.
Psalm 37:23-24: “The Lord directs the steps of the godly.”
Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to guide My feet and a light for my path.”
Proverbs 16:9: “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.”
And in addition, He promises to “make your path” right with Him. Think “righteous”. He will lead you to live a life of righteousness and honor. One that is avoids compromise and is defined by godliness. One where your attitudes, actions, and behaviors reflect Jesus.
That’s the kind of life that God promises…and that’s the kind of life I want to live! And it begins with TRUST! So, TRUST HIM.
Trust God WITH everything…ABOVE everything, IN everything! And enjoy the promise of His closeness in life!
CONCLUSION:
The first step toward trusting the Lord begins with trust in Him for your salvation.. Surrendering your life to Him. And this happens as putting your faith trust in Jesus (the one who paid the price for your sins So, let’s start there.
But then, TRUSTING HIM leads us to serve Him and follow Him with the rest of your life. And that comes through obedience to His direction.
So, let’s TRUST IN JESUS — and let’s determine today to OBEY HIM in every way!
PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, I admit that I am a sinner and I’ve chosen my way over your’s way too often, but all that changes today. Because, I believe in Your Son, Jesus. I believe that He came from Heaven to earth to pay for my sin. I believe He died on the cross, shed His blood, was put in a grave — and rose again. So, today — I put my faith in Him. Forgive me of my sin. Save me and give me new life in you forever. I pray this in Jesus name, Amen.
If you prayed today and made a decision to follow Jesus — would you let us know?
DISMISSAL:
Some of you will be familiar with the Old Hymn: Trust and Obey. The chorus says:
Trust and obey, For there’s no other way, To be happy in Jesus — but to trust and obey.
Trust and obedience go hand in hand. As the late Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote,
“One act of obedience is better than one hundred sermons.”