Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart

Depend on Him, With Assurance He is in Control

Proverbs 3:5-6

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

As Christians, we’ve heard this verse many times, and for many circumstances. But what does TRUST really mean?  The dictionary definition of trust is: 

• To have or place confidence in; 

• To depend on; 

• To expect with assurance.

That’s a really powerful definition.

Notice this Proverb isn’t given to us as a request; it is a command. It’s not optional. 

Our trust in God is not to be 50%, 75%, and even 95%. Our trust in the Lord must be given 100%. We are to have complete confidence in God’s strength and depend on His ability to direct our life path.

It is easy to trust God when things are going well. But what happens to your TRUST in the Lord when things are falling apart? What happens when we don’t understand why we lost our job or why we were diagnosed with cancer or why someone close to us dies. Do we still trust?

When we really trust in Him, all that happens is for our benefit, even when things seem bleak, as told to us in Romans 8:28 -

We know that ALL things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.

Yes, ALL things…

Every event in our life is actually just a ‘thing.’ Our human minds and emotions categorize the event, the ‘thing’, as good or bad. But God uses the ‘bad things’ for good in our life, even if we can’t possibly see or understand the outcome in the moment.

Most of us probably remember the poem by Margaret Fishback Powers called “FOOTPRINTS” - but for those who don’t know it, you can find the full poem here. 

“Lord you told me You would always walk with me. But during the most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I don’t understand. When I needed You the most, You were not there.”

He whispered, “My precious child, I love you and I will never leave you. I would never leave you during trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, I was there; I was carrying you.”

What trials are you going through right now? Have you reached out to God… do you feel He’s not listening? Do you feel He’s ignoring you…or that He has abandoned you?

This is where Trust comes in…trusting with all your heart.

• Don’t try to figure it out.

• Turn it over to Him.

• Let Him take the steering wheel of your life; you take the passenger’s seat. Maybe you should take a nap…let God drive and when you wake up, you'll be exactly in the place He wants you to be.

Today's Prayer:

Dear Lord, we live in challenging times. Many of us have lost our jobs, our businesses, our homes. Many of us have lost our health, our loved ones, and close relationships with friends and family members. Some of us are even at the end of our hope. 

So Lord - today, right now - I remind myself and ACKNOWLEDGE that You are in control. I don’t understand what lies ahead for I can only see what’s in front of me, and even that, I do not understand. You are the Alpha and the Omega in my life. You knew the Plan for me before I was born. You know the number of hairs on my head and You have predetermined the number of days I will be on Earth. Thank You for carrying me.

Lord, today I renew my TRUST in You. I exercise my FAITH, both as a noun and as a verb. I place my heart in Your hands and trust that You know what is exactly right for me.  Lord, I place my confidence in You. I depend on You. I expect, with assurance, that You are in control and You will direct my life according to Your Riches in Glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(I published an additional substack, Eye on the Evidence, each Saturday. You can find it here.)