Praise the Lord! God has blessed us with another week of life on earth to grow in our faith as we walk with Jesus and draw closer to God. We, being the disciples of Jesus Christ, have so much more to accomplish in the Kingdom of God but we only have a limited time at hand to finish our God-given ministry. As of now, we are lagging behind our schedules in carrying out our God-given ministry since we have mixed up our personal lists of items with God’s ministry. Thus, we fail to do justice in carrying out the ministry God has entrusted to us. Therefore, before it is too late let us prayerfully plan to carry out the ministry that God has entrusted us to finish, as Apostle Paul stated: I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace (Acts 20:24).

The Passage for this week’s Scripture for the Week meditation is from Proverbs 3:5-6 (mentioned above). Perhaps, this Scripture passage could be one of the most encouraging and comforting verses in times of trouble. There are numerous verses in the Scripture that bring so much comfort and peace during difficult situations but many think that these verses (Proverbs 3:5-6) standout among them all. As a servant of God, these verses bring comfort and encouragement when I go through a difficult situation in my life or ministry. In addition, if anyone comes to me with an issue that troubles them very much, whether we can find a solution to the issue or not, immediately I encourage them quoting these verses because these verses put a halt to the pain they go through and gives them time to plan and place their trust in the Lord. This passage literally inspires and re-energizes anyone who believes in the Lord God Almighty. Also, this passage is an invitation to submit to the will of God, and to trust God in our day-to-day life. Key words/phrases in these verses are trust, heart, lean not, understanding, your ways, your paths, submit, and straight.

In order to understand the context of the passage we chose for our this week’s meditation (Proverbs 3:5-6), we need to read the verses prior to the passage, that is, Proverbs 3:1-4, which states …

1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, 2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity. 3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man (Proverbs 3:1-4)

In and through this Scripture passage, God is speaking directly and personally to His people. God, being the giver of the Law; His people, being the receiver of the Law; and the Law of God itself, are the key focus of the passage. There are several passages in the Scripture that portrays God as our Father: For instance:

I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty (2 Corinthians 6:18 [also, refer: 2 Samuel 7:14])

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him (1 John 3:1)

But you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us or Israel acknowledge us; you, Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name (Isaiah 63:16)

Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand (Isaiah 64:8)

In the light of the above Scripture passages that portrays God as our Father, if we study Proverbs 3:1-4, we can understand that God gives His authoritative teachings to His sons and daughters, so that they can live a life worthy of His calling and lead a righteous life before God and others. Below mentioned is a brief outline of Proverbs 3:1-4, which will help us to understand the passage very well:

Our Heavenly Father’s Advise to Preserve His Authoritative Teachings (Vs. 1-2)

• • My son/daughter, do not forget my teaching (v.1a)
  • My son/daughter, keep my commands in your heart (v.1b)
    • If you do so (v.2):
      • They will prolong your life many years (v.2a)
      • They will bring you peace and prosperity (v.2b)

Leviticus 25:18-19 Follow my decrees and be careful to obey my laws, and you will live safely in the land. Then the land will yield its fruit and you will eat your fill and you will live there in safety.”

• • My son/daughter, let love and faithfulness never leave you (v.3a)
  • My son/daughter, bind them (love and faithfulness) around your neck (v.3b)
  • My son/daughter, write them (love and faithfulness) on the tablet of your heart (v.3c)
    • If you do so (v.4)
      • You will win favor in the sight of God and man (v.4a)
      • You will win a good name in the sight of God and man (v.4b)

Now, let us focus on the passage we chose for our meditation (Proverbs 3:5-6). In this passage we can see that God, as our heavenly Father, gives three specific commands for us to follow, and they are:

• • Trust in the Lord with all your heart (v.5a)
  • Lean not on your own understanding (v.5b)
  • In all your ways submit to him (v.6a)

The above-mentioned commands are connected with a promise. As the sons and daughters of God, if we keep those three commands, God promised that He will make our paths straight (v.6b), which means He will watch over our life (Psalm 121:8), He will protect us (Psalm 121:7), and He will provide for us (2 Corinthians 9:8) because God cares for us.  As Apostle Peter stated: Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).  Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians believers, Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God … And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6, 19).

Trust in the Lord with all of your heart (Proverbs 3:5a)

The first command in here says that trust in the Lord with all of your heart, which means a complete reliance on the Lord God Almighty and His Word (promises) in any given circumstances/situations. King David declares (assuming that Psalm 118 is written by king David) that It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes … The LORD is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation. Many of the Old Testament and New Testament saints trusted in the Lord with all of their heart, for instance, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, prophets Elijah and Elisha, the apostles, including Apostle Paul, and numerous others. One of the best example is that when Elisha’s servant saw the Aramean army with horses and chariots all around the city, he was fearful but Elisha confidently comforted him saying, Don’t be afraid because the army that fights for us is larger than the one against us (2 Kings 6:15-17 [vs 8-23]). Elisha’s unwavering trust in the God of Israel is the kind of trust that is needed when it is said Trust in the Lord with all of your heart.

Psalm 27:3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear. Though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.

Isaiah 26:3-4 You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.

Psalm 91:3-7 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.

Lean not on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5b)

Speaking from a human perspective, it is easy to fall in the trap of one’s own understanding rather than trusting in the Lord. The Scripture very clearly emphasizes the fact that it is better to trust in the Lord than to trust in one’s own ability. The Scripture is very specific in saying: Lean not on your own understanding (v.5b). For instance, when Moses sent the leaders of the people of Israel (one person from each tribe) to explore the land of Canaan, ten of the twelve leaders brought a negative report that it is almost impossible to overpower the people of the land, especially the Nephilim, the descendants of Anak [aka: the Anakites]. However, Joshua and Caleb trusting in the Lord said that it is possible to defeat the people of the land with the help of God (Numbers 13:1-14:9). See here, ten out of the twelve leaders did not trust the Lord but leaned on their own understanding, but Joshua and Caleb did not lean on their own understanding but trusted the God of Israel. Once, king David also trusted the ability of the vast army he had instead of trusting the God of Israel who gave him victory after victory every time he went out to fight against his enemy. God’s judgement fell upon king David and the people of Israel. The Lord God punished David’s guilt (and Israel’s sin [2 Samuel 24:1a]); and the Lord sent a plague on Israel and put to death about seventy-thousand people in Israel from Dan to Beersheba (2 Samuel 24:1-17). Of course, God forgave king David when he accepted the responsibility of doing wrong and repented of his failure in counting the army instead of trusting the Lord (2 Samuel 24:10-17); and David built an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite and worshipped Him, and the plague on Israel was stopped (2 Samuel 24:18-25).

After the death of king David, Solomon succeeded him as king in Israel. God appeared to king Solomon and blessed him with wisdom and everything else a king can have. In fact, God blessed king Solomon more than any other kings in the entire world before him or during his life-time or afterwards. However, Solomon did not follow God wholeheartedly like his father David did (1 Kings 15:5), rather he trusted in his own understanding and did evil in the sight of the Lord, the God of Israel (1 Kings 11:6 [1-10]). Solomon leaned on human wisdom over God’s wisdom and acted in the way of the world ignoring obedience to God’s commands. He ended up in big trouble before the God of Israel who brought him up and seated him on the throne of his father David. He took numerous wives and several of them were from a pagan background who drew him away from his God, the God of Israel. Due to the influence of his pagan wives upon his life, he built temples for pagan gods and goddesses and sinned against the God of Israel. As a result, God’s judgment came upon Solomon and God decided to remove him and his descendants from the kingly of throne Israel. Yet, God, being faithful to his covenant with his servant David (Solomon’s father) who followed God wholeheartedly in his life-time and fulfilled God’s purpose in his generation, did not remove either Solomon or his descendants from the kingly throne of David (Psalm 89:30-37), but decided to divide the nation of Israel into two and give one part to one of king Solomon’s subordinates, Jeroboam (1 Kings 11:9-13, 26).

After the death of king Solomon, his son Rehoboam succeeded him as king in Israel. He also trusted on his own wisdom and accepted the advice of his young friends and rejected God’s wisdom and the advice of the elderly godly people. As a result, his subjects rebelled against him and the kingdom was divided into two – the nation of Israel, and the nation of Judah (1 Kings 12:1-24). As time passed, both Israel and Judah drifted away from following the God of their fathers wholeheartedly and sinned against the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel. The reason why God sent Israel and Judah into captivity was that the people of Israel and Judah sinned against Him (2 Kings 17:7-41; Isaiah 5:1-30; Amos 2:6-8; Ezekiel 8:1-18). These are some of the examples of leaning on one’s own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him [the Lord God Almighty] (Proverbs 3:6a)

There is a solid reason why we are asked to acknowledge God in all our ways as it is mentioned In all your ways acknowledge Him / God (Proverbs 3:6a). We have come into existence on this earth by no other means but as God’s creation, the One who created everything in the universe (Genesis 1:1-2:3). Since we are created by God (in His own image and likeness), we do not belong to ourselves but to God our Creator (Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7). However, the sin in us compels us to deny God’s ownership upon our lives and ignore His righteous laws and commands that has been given us for our good (Genesis 1:28-30; 2:15-17; 3:6-7; Exodus 20:1-17; Deuteronomy 10:13). Yet, God, being compassionate and loving, sent His One and only begotten Son [Jesus Christ] to this world to redeem our lives from the grip of the sin and death by laying down His very life on our behalf (Isaiah 52:13-53:12; John 3:16; Acts 4:12; Romans 5:8-10; 1 Peter 2:24; 3:18). Since we are created by God and redeemed by Jesus Christ, it is important for us to acknowledge God in all our ways, which means, submit to the Lordship and leadership of God the Father and Jesus Christ in our life and in everything we say and do (word and deed) in our day-to-day life. Let us examine our life right away to look for any areas of our life  which are outside of the Lordship of Jesus Christ; if so, identify them, correct them, and submit them to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Apostle Paul acknowledged that we are the handiwork of God, as it is mentioned: For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). Again he said, Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:17). Let all our activities (whether it is related to personal life, family, church, or community) be connected with God and invite the Holy Spirit to be part of everything we do. Thus, let us acknowledge the Lord God Almighty in everything we do.

The Promise of God is that He will make your paths straight

The promise attached to the above-mentioned commands is that God will make our paths straight. What does it mean when God said He will make your paths straight? For instance, when we decide to go to some new places that are not familiar to us, it might be very hard to reach our destination since we do not know the place/s and suitable routes to reach our destination. Some routes might be longer but it takes less travel time, some routes are shorter but might take more travel time; there might also be some short-cut routes or routes which are narrow and filled with too many turns and twists but it might be dangerous to drive. However, in the present scenario, most people try to get driving directions using a Global Positioning System (GPS) or a smart phone. Although, it might show multiple routes for our destination, it will show a highlighted route, which Google maps or Apple maps, or any other similar tools think is the best way to reach our destination. Out of all those options, we choose the route that best suits our destination and we reach our destination without much trouble. Even if we miss some turns, it will re-direct and take us to the right destination. This is what exactly God is trying to tell us. If we follow His voice, His commands, His paths, we will definitely reach our destination. The enemy might do anything and everything he can to make us stumble and fall and break our spiritual journey and try to stop us reaching our intended destination, but do not give up, rather make God in-charge of our life. Even if obstacles and struggles come on our way to our destination, He will help us to walk through the darkest hours and most dangerous situations and lead us to our destination. If God’s presence is with us, there is nothing to fear. King David said,

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me (Psalm 23:4).

It was an awesome experience to meditate upon Proverbs 3:5-6. We learned so many life-lessons and benefited so much out of the godly wisdom. The book of Proverbs is filled with godly wisdom and helps us with practical guidelines for righteous living before God and man. Godly wisdom will teach us how to lead a righteous life in this religiously, politically, socially, culturally, ethically, and spiritually corrupt world. In fact, I encourage all of us to take time to read the entire book of Proverbs or, at least, read chapter three (Proverbs 3:1-35) right away in order to get a glimpse of God’s wisdom that was imparted to king Solomon, who wrote most of the proverbs in the Scripture, for our benefit. If we read one chapter a day from the book of Proverbs, we will finish reading the entire book of Proverbs twelve times a year.  Definitely, it will redefine our day-to-day life and ministry and redirect our path in the right direction based on the standards of the Biblical teachings. May the Lord God Almighty bless us all! Amen!