March 12
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; Proverbs 3:5
This verse takes us from knowing God to fully relying on Him. Trust can be a tricky thing. It takes time to develop and deepen. There is a process to earning or giving trust. For some, trusting takes (significant) time and requires taking a vulnerable and big step forward. Relationships are built on trust. The trust we have in our relationships generally does not show up magically or by “wishful thinking.” Trust takes time. Trust takes work. Trust takes belief in the other person. Trusting someone else is a beautiful thing. Having that person we completely trust is a powerful thing. But, trust can just as easily be lost. Once trust is lost, damaged, or broken, we guard our hearts. Opening our hearts up again to trusting can take a very long time.
The Hebrew word for trust in this verse is “batach.” It carries the image of someone lying face down or casting oneself upon something or someone - falling flat on the ground in total surrender. Imagine a child running to a parent and falling (unafraid) into their arms. There isn’t a concern or worry in the small child’s mind that the parent won’t catch them. They have complete trust in their parent. The parent has caught them before - so why would they not do it again. This is what it means to trust the Lord. There is no doubt the Father won’t be there to catch me - to hold me. He has done it before, and He will continue to do it in the future.
How do we trust the Lord? “With all of our heart.” We’ve looked at this idea before - trusting, loving, and searching God with all of our heart. It is totally and completely with ALL of our heart. We don’t get to pick and choose with what part - or how much - of our heart we can trust God. This calls for 100% of our heart. It’s not trusting God with our spiritual life, and then trusting our stock portfolio for security. It’s not trusting God for one hour on Sunday, and then relying on our own grit and determination to help us get through the rest of the week. Trusting someone or something with ALL of our heart is not easy or natural for us. We’ve been hurt. We’ve been betrayed. We’ve been let down. But, that’s not what we receive when we learn to trust God with all our heart. He has an impeccable track record of loving, forgiving, healing, providing, protecting, and delivering. My life - your life - is evidence of this. God reminds us that He is with us wherever we go, and that He will never leave us or forsake us. This is a God we can trust with all of our heart.
Father - I recognize that I often walk through life trusting myself more than I trust You. I don’t always understand Your plan for me so I believe it’s easier to trust what I know and can see. Forgive me. Help me today to trust You completely with my whole heart and life. All of my decisions, worries, and unanswered questions I bring to You. You are good. What You have planned for me is good. Thank You for Your faithfulness and for loving me. In Your name we pray. Amen