Trust in the Lord (2)

Finding Direction From the Lord”

Proverbs 3:5–6 KJV 1900

5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths.

INTRODUCTION: A ROADMAP FOR LIFE Solomon, the wisest man to ever walk this earth—outside of Jesus Himself—lays out a divine formula.

A roadmap for those of us who want not just a life lived, but a life directed by Almighty God. Three commands. One promise.

Trust.

Don’t lean.

Acknowledge.

And the result? “He shall direct thy paths.” Not maybe, not hopefully—He shall. But today, I want to zero in on that first word: “Trust.” Because if we don’t get that right, we’ll never see the path unfold before us. -— I. WHAT IS TRUST? “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart...” Now what is trust, really? Is it just believing God exists?

No, friend—it’s deeper.

The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament 982. בָּטַח bāṭaḥ

A verb indicating to trust, to be confident. It expresses the feeling of safety and security that is felt when one can rely on someone or something else. It is used to show trust in God (

So trust means to feel safe, to be secure, to be confident—not in ourselves, but in Him. It’s not some kind of heavenly handshake where we say, “God, you do your part, and I’ll do mine.” No sir. Trust is rooted in God’s unshakable faithfulness. It means resting in who He is—when you don’t understand what He’s doing. > The Psalms use this word almost 50 times. Why? Because life is full of uncertainty. David, in the caves and valleys, on the battlefield and in the palace, had to learn it firsthand. ILLUSTRATION: Now if I were to call up young Eric, put him on top of this piano, and say, “Jump! I’ll catch you!”—he might hesitate at first, but he’d jump because he knows me. But now imagine if I asked Bro. Philip or Bro. Addison or Bro. Mark to climb up there and try it… amen? We’d laugh because trust only works when there’s a relationship behind it. -— II. WHO TEACHES US TO TRUST? I believe Solomon learned trust from his father, David. David trusted God with the lion, the bear, and the giant. He didn’t need to know how big Goliath was—because he knew how big God is. > “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.” — Psalm 20:7 And he says in Psalm 37, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” You don’t get that kind of trust overnight. You get it in the battlefield of life. When you’ve been backed into a corner, and God shows up just in time. -— III. WHAT DOES TRUST REQUIRE? > “With all thine heart…” Trust isn’t half-hearted. It doesn’t leave room for a backup plan. You can’t lean on your own understanding and God’s wisdom at the same time. We say we trust God, but we often still try to keep a hand on the wheel. But Solomon says: “Lean not on your own understanding.” In other words: Don’t trust your education more than your revelation. Don’t trust your gut more than your God. Don’t trust logic when the Lord is leading you into the unknown! > The songwriter said, “’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His Word…” But how do we do that? We surrender our mind, our will, our emotions—everything that makes us who we are. We trust Him when it’s dark. We trust Him when it’s silent. We trust Him when we don’t know the next step. -— IV. WHAT DOES TRUST BRING? > “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” That word “acknowledge” means more than just a tip of the hat. It means to recognize His authority, to honor His leadership, to walk with Him in close communion. Jeremiah said, “They shall all know me… for I will write my law upon their hearts.” This is intimate knowledge—a walk, not just a worship service. David put it this way: > “The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous…” — Psalm 1:6 That means God doesn’t just watch your path—He walks it with you. He guides, guards, and governs your steps. -— A Song OF TRUST Bessie F. Hatcher put it this way:

When in affliction, grief, and pain,He did not fail me then;When no one cared, I came to Him;He did not fail me then.I trusted Him for keeping grace,To walk the path His hand did trace,And said while looking on His face,“He will not fail me now.”

When Abraham obeyed the Lord,He did not fail him then,And others faced the fire and sword;He did not fail them then.Lean hard on Him, O tested soul,On Him thy care and burden roll;Our God still lives and has control—He will not fail you now. -— CONCLUSION: WHO DO YOU TRUST? Church, this world is offering you all kinds of paths. Some trust in technology. Some trust in politics. Some trust in money or fame or self-help. But as for me and my house, we will trust in the LORD. Because here’s the truth: > The world says, “Follow your heart.” But God says, “Give me your heart—and I’ll show you the way.” So today, I challenge you: 🔹 Trust Him with your past—He can redeem it. 🔹 Trust Him with your present—He will sustain it. 🔹 Trust Him with your future—He’s already there! L