June 12 - His Way, Not Mine

Read Proverbs 3:1-8

Context: Proverbs 2 discusses the moral benefits of wisdom, which is continued through chapter 3 (well, to be honest, it's continued through the whole book of Proverbs!).

Text:
1 My son, do not forget my teaching,
but keep my commands in your heart,
2 for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you prosperity.
3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight. [a]
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD and shun evil.
8 This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones. (NIV)

Footnotes:
Proverbs 3:6 Or will direct your paths
taken from www.biblegateway.com

A friend of mine challenged several women to choose a 'theme verse' for this year, and I selected Proverbs 3:5-6. I'm beginning to think that it will take the rest of my life to fully understand the reality of these verses.

It sounds so easy to say 'Trust with all your heart,' and why wouldn't I want to do that? But as soon as I think I'm on the right track something happens that proves yet again that God's ways are not my ways. I want to fall right back on what I think I know about a situation or a person, trying to reason and problem-solve based on my limited experiences and perspective on the world.

In the midst of crisis (either in my life or the lives of others I want to support), it is easy to second guess God and wonder how He could ever allow this suffering. I don't want to pretend to have a clue about why bad things happen to good people, but I want to be able to skip over those doubts and fears and just trust Him to know and do what is best. I'm really pleased that I eventually get to that point, but it definitely isn't my first response to bad news.

So if anyone has gotten good at quieting that human voice in your head so that you can better hear God's spirit, please teach me!!!