Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
I work for a pretty cool guy. One of the things that really amazes me about him, is his ability to see much further down the road than I can…..or further than most people here for that matter. Even he cannot see far enough, and as he will tell you himself, that is why he works with a partner. That partner would be the Lord. There comes a time in everyone’s life, in every decision that we make, that we have to turn it over to the Lord. Even the best of the best, that can see things that others can’t, still cannot see enough. We can try to think how others will act, but it is just a guess. We can try to plan out a path to take, but that path will depend on others doing, and acting like you need them to act, and all too often God’s plans for others will not coincide with your plans for them.
That is why we have to trust in the Lord, not ourselves, or in others. We believe in the Lord, and that the Lord will work in those around us, not for our benefit, but for the execution of His plan. AS we all know, that means sometimes we get the short end of the stick, other times unbelievably, they work out just how we want them to. The danger that comes from leaning on our understanding, is that we begin not to rely just on ourselves, but we start looking for people here to follow. Those people might not always be what they appear, their plans might not be what they present them to be. I watched a movie last night, I can’t recall the name. It was a “b” movie, but it was a period piece, and I am a sucker for anything from the 13th and 14th century. Part of the show centered around a young man who was leading a large group of children to Jerusalem so that they might pray for peace. The only adult among them was a priest that was helping guide the young leader. Towards the end of the show it is revealed that the priest is really just collecting children so that he might get them to the coast, and sell them to slave traders. Not exactly what the crusade of peace was supposed to be accomplishing. It got me to thinking, isn’t that how the devil works? He depends on us to place our faith and trust into something or someone other than the Lord. Then the devil manipulates the situation. Now the good that you thought you were doing, has turned into a trap of the devil. You are in neck deep before you even realize it….if you are lucky enough to realize it at all. When we trust in others to give us what only God can, we will always be disappointed, and taken advantage of. It is when these things happen that you often hear the phrase why do bad things happen to good people. I have a painful truth to share, one that I and many others have had to learn the hard way. Good people are not always God people. I am quite certain that even the devil can present himself as good for a short time, if it advanced his wicked agenda.
That is why it is written repeatedly in the Bible, trust in the Lord. The Lord is not a liar, He does not deceive, He does not manipulate you. He will set your feet on the path that will lead you home, He will guide you, and He will protect you. Oh I know I hear a lot of people ask the question “how do I know if it is God’s plan” “how do I know if this is what God has planned for me” “how do I know if I am making the right choice” those are tough questions for sure, but we can get a pretty good answer to those questions, by asking a couple more. Does it serve God, or does it serve me? If it is something that serves to benefit you more than God, you can bet that you might want to pray a little more. Moses, David, Joseph, Joshua, Paul, these were great men, who accomplished great things, and they accomplished them by trusting in God. They promoted God in their life, not themselves. AS a result, God promoted them.
Just like that priest in the movie I mentioned. The young boy placed his faith in the priest, now, there were signs, decisions made, directions taken, commands given, (all in the name of God of course) that gave an outsider the ability to see that the priest was serving himself, not God. Yet the priest was smart, he inflated the boys ego. As a result, the boy would pick up on things, yet it was hard to break away, because who does not want to be important? Who does not want to feel special? These are the tactics of evil. There are many people out there, I am sure you know of a few, that are serving themselves, yet pretending they are serving God. God is not into the your self-promotion business, He is in the business of salvation. The Lord leads to eternity, self-promotion leads to death.
Our own understanding tends to be short sighted, and as much as we hate to admit it, our own understanding tends to lean towards just being good, not being Christ like. It goes back to feeling special, feeling important, feeling needed, feeling loved……feeling “cool” The purest form of these things can only come from the Lord…..and guess what? You already have them. Think you are not important? God has chosen you, He has known you before you were formed, and it is His greatest hope that you complete His plan. Think you are not special? There is not another person like you, you are unique. No one else can do what you are capable of. Every hurt, sorrow, joy, and triumph has molded you into what you are today, and you have a special viewpoint that is a little different than anyone else. God uses that, if you will let Him. Think you are not loved? How about someone loving you so much, not a group of people, not an entire world, but you, just you are loved so much, that He sent His Son so that you might live for eternity with Him. These are things you can trust in. It is because of these truths, that we can trust in the Lord only. Your Mom, your Dad, your spouse, no one can love you as much, as deeply, and as unconditionally as the Lord. Why then would we place our trust, and faith in anything or anyone above the Lord? Trust the Lord, and you will see His blessings multiply, trust in man, and you will be disappointed. Trust in yourself alone, and you will fall short.
Who will you trust in? Will you trust the people, and things that puff you up? Will you trust in the things and the people that only want to elevate you or themselves? Will you choose to trust in the Lord, the rock, our anchor in the storms of life? Only One will save you, only One will sustain you, only One will bless you, not only in this life, but in the life to come. You are going to have to serve somebody. It might be the devil, or it might be the Lord, but we all serve. Who you trust, will make all of the difference.
God Bless,
Brian Thetford
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