Proverbs 3:5-8

These verses rank in the top 10 of the most proof texted verses in the Bible

“I don’t know what to do in ______”

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart...”

Trust…trust Him for what?

What are we to trust God for?

I don’t think though that Solomon was writing for the purpose of getting us to know what areas to trust God in.

He lists some and he gives us reasons to trust.

I think Solomon’s purpose in these verses is twofold

For us to remember where to place our trust and secondly to recognise how much trust we are to place in God.

Trust…the word means security or safety

The word actually pictures a person laying face down with their arms and legs spread out

Laying in that manner is vulnerable

The picture of the word is that you have a sense of security that you will become vulnerable because the Lord is your strength and your peace

Next we are not just to trust…we are good at trusting and far too often good at trusting in self

We are to trust in God and God alone.

This idea is amplified when Solomon says “with all thine heart”

A few questions that stem from the following verses

1- Do we allow the Bible to override our thinking?

This narrows down to a more pointed question

Do you agree with the Bible or do you obey the Bible?

Whats the difference?

Agreement with the Bible is when we live in harmony with the Bible where it agrees with the culture that we are comfortable in.

One commentator put it this way “If you merely agree with the Bible, then your response is not obedience but coincidence. It’s just that the prejudices you have soaked up from your culture happen to line up with the Bible at that point.”

This ends with the question “What do yo do when the Bible contradicts what you want to be true?”

If you are looking in the Bible for excuses to do what you want anyway, you have in fact rejected God.

But if you trust the Lord, you will let the Bible challenge your most cherished thoughts and feelings.

The wonderful thing is, the Lord cares about your questions and problems.

He wants to speak into your life in ways that will help you.

If you will trust him wholeheartedly, you will let him teach you.

Question 2

Are there areas in your life that you have compartmentalized?

Are there areas that you go to to escape from God, the church, fellow Christians.

If we have areas that we go to to escape the Lord, His people, His will the we are again rejecting His way

Maybe it is as simple as you are all in at church but as soon as you get home you focus on self

Maybe its that time of the day when you just want to sit down and relax and you get a text message, phone call, or hear a voice in the next room that is reaching out to you.

What is the response? “This is MY time to relax” or “This is an opportunity to continue serving the Lord”

We need to allow the Lord to direct all out paths

Whether in vocation, hobbies, relationships, ministry

If we set ANY of these aside and keep the Lord out we are not trusting with our whole heart

Verse 7

What is our source of wisdom?

Solomon challenges us to not be wise in our own eyes

2 Corinthians 10:12 KJV 1900

For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

Do we look to other people

Science

Those in authority

These can be good sources of truth, experience, or knowledge but not a place to find true wisdom.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge

The right heart attitude as we approach the Lord and His Word

Verse 8

How are you feeling

I often want to shy away from feelings but they are a valuable indicator of our lives.

As much as “health to thy navel” and “marrow to thy bones” can literally come from wise living I believe that Solomon is dealing with the inner man and that they are just word pictures to ask...”How are you doing in your inner-man”?

Do you have peace…or fear?

Do you feel confident…or do you feel like a failure?

Are you secure in the direction your life is headed…or do you feel conflicted?

The Lord can give is the peace, confidence, and wisdom to live a life honoring to Him

It begins with trust

Who will you trust?

Who’s wisdom will you accept

Who’s path will you take

That is the answer to Shaloam (peace) in this life

The answer Is the Lord and trusting and following Him.