All Thine Heart

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Background: The human penman for Proverbs is Solomon which is appropriate as “he was wiser than all men” (1 Kings 4:31). Therefore the book of Proverbs were written for our learning – to make us more wise – in all areas of life: divine ethics, politics, economics, exposing every sinful weakness, and exhorting every virtue. Matthew Henry (1662-1714) said Proverbs 3 “is one of the most excellent in all this book, both for argument to persuade us to be religious and for directions therein.”

Our daily lives are filled with decisions from the simple mundane to the detailed critical ones. All of us like control. We want life to play out the way we think it should. We have a picture of how life should look, and we want to put all the puzzle pieces of life neatly together in the correct order. Unfortunately, sometimes pieces are lost or there are extra pieces thrown in the box that do not seem to fit.

This passage in Proverbs is the answer to our problems. It gives a promise at the end, “He shall direct thy paths,” but the fulfillment of that promise is conditional on our obedience to the first three commands.

1. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart.

The word translated “trust” in verse 5 means “to lie helpless, facedown.” Think of a servant ready at the master’s command to obey. Allowing God to lead in our lives starts with a commitment to trust.

Solomon tells us to trust in the Lord with ALL our hearts. We must relinquish our limited understanding and acknowledge His divine guidance in every aspect of life. Sometimes it means quietening our hearts and simply say, “It is okay to not be able to figure everything out. I don’t have to understand it all. I just need to trust the Lord.”

Trusting in the Lord requires surrendering our fears, doubts, and plans to Him. It means acknowledging that His wisdom surpasses our understanding. God sees the bigger picture when we can only see a fragment.

2. Lean not unto thine own understanding.

These paired verses show two approaches to life: lean on ourselves OR lean on God. We cannot do both. Leaning on ourselves means we are trusting our own intellect and abilities. It is called self-sufficiency, and it is the enemy of our faith in the Lord.

This does not mean we should not think through decisions with the minds God gave us, but we are to think through choices with complete submission to His will. The trouble comes when we become wise in our own eyes (Proverbs 3:7).

3. In all thy ways acknowledge Him.

Solomon said we were to acknowledge God in all we do. This truth was repeated by Jesus almost a thousand years later (Matthew 6:33). Think about His desire for your life in ALL ways. Every choice matters. Acknowledge His guidance by saying, “Lord, I desire Your perfect will. I am turning this decision over to You.”

If we follow these three commands, then we can count on His promise, “He shall direct thy paths.” He will give us the wisdom to direct us in all our ways. He will lead us – or keep us – on the right path.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the wisdom and guidance found in Your Word. I come before You today, surrendering my worries, doubts, and plans. Help me, Lord, to trust You with all my heart, even when I cannot see the way ahead. I acknowledge that Your understanding is far greater than mine, and I submit my life into Your capable hands. Amen.

Cross references: Proverbs 22:19, 16:3; 1 Chronicles 28:9