WATCHWORD:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6
Meditation:
Memory Verse – 4/4
Our men’s Bible study, Men in Mission, has been going strong for at least 40 years. One of those early saints in our study was Glen Hawkins, the father of our pastor at that time. I can still hear his very unique voice, reminding us, teaching us, to “trust in the Lord with all our hearts”. There were times when he would elaborate, explaining what it means to truly trust in the Lord and seek to do His will in everyday things. He was a wonderful participant in our discussions and when he passed to the Lord we were better for having him with us for a time.
I believe there are Saints like Glen in every Bible study group. Sometimes those Saints nag us a bit, sometimes they serve as instructors, sometimes they serve as the conscience of the group, moving us to serve.
What does Proverbs 3:5-6 mean seems obvious on first reading. Trust God with all our hearts and not depend on what we know. Of course, everyone knows that! Ah, but do we? Is there even one of us whose plans have gone 100% according to our planning without any help from the Almighty? Really? And you made your own paths straight, no bumps in the road, no set-backs, no detours? Call me a skeptic.
You want clarity in the meaning? I love the Message Version of this passage. Verses 5 through 12 reads like evangelistic preaching of the passage. It is a spiritual covering of all bases, nothing is left to our human guessing:
Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he’s the one who will keep you on track.
Don’t assume that you know it all.
Run to God! Run from evil!
Your body will glow with health,
your very bones will vibrate with life!
Honor God with everything you own;
give him the first and the best.
Your barns will burst,
your wine vats will brim over.
But don’t, dear friend, resent God’s discipline;
don’t sulk under his loving correction.
It’s the child he loves that God corrects;
a father’s delight is behind all this.
Okay, everyone got that? Thank you, Glen for keeping this passage before us and adding context. Thank you, King David for this contribution to “Sayings of the Wise”.
The rest of us, Go and do likewise. So be it.
Bulletin Board:
Some of us out there have a birthday this month, maybe even today, do you suppose? Well, happy birthday to all. Know that God loves you, and so do we!
Closing Prayer:
God, trusting You is hard. I have a hard time letting go and letting you take control. I need help releasing my control to You. Help me grow in my trust in You. I want to be a person who stands firm and trusts You wholeheartedly. I want to be unshakable and resilient, but that can only happen by depending on You and trusting You. Develop that deeper trust in me, God I desperately need it and want to trust you more. Amen.
