Proverbs 3:1–8
Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart
3:1 My son, do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commandments,
2 for length of days and years of life
and peace they will add to you.
3 Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;
bind them around your neck;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 So you will find favor and good success
in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
7 Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones.
(ESV)
Trust in the Lord
Not all counsel is created equal. We’ve all received helpful input and advice, and we’ve all received harmful input and advice. Some of our counselors are wise, and some foolish. Occasionally we are our own worst counselors. Maybe it is because we are short-sighted and don’t have all the facts. Sometimes we’re blinded by emotion. And sometimes we are simply mistaken. Wouldn’t it be great if we could always receive good advice? Wise counsel?
That’s what is offered in Proverbs 3:1–8. It points us towards godly wisdom. Not only that it highlights how this wisdom will benefit us in all the ways we’re longing for. It does so by giving four little pairs.
In verses 1–2, we find that obeying godly wisdom offers long years rich with peace. In verses 3–4, a life marked by a character that reflects God’s own love and faithfulness will find favor and success. In 5–6 listening to God’s ways means we’ll walk on straight paths. And in verses 7–8, that by being humble enough to fear God and listen to him by turning from evil, we will be healed from the inside out. All four of these pairs demonstrate the great benefit in receiving wisdom from a better source than those around us, or even from ourselves. By trusting God’s wisdom and character, the peace, favor, direction, and healing we long for is offered.
And what could prove this more clearly than Christmas? Could you or I ever conceive of such a plan? That God the Creator would become God the Child. That the one celebrated in heaven would come to be scorned on earth. That the Author of Life would subject himself to death. And that this Innocent One would substitute himself for the guilty ones. If we lean on our own understanding we could not conceive of this, nor would we receive it. This is wisdom from beyond us, from God Only Wise. And as such, it offers us all the benefits we long for: life, favor, direction, and healing. And all of this in ways far greater than the writer of Proverbs ever dreamed.
Mary is an example for us. When the angels told her she’d bear the Messiah, despite not being married, she did not lean on her own understanding. She trusted in the Lord and said, “Let it be done to me according to your word.” And as a result, the good news of Jesus Christ has been proclaimed in all the world. May we like Mary lean not on our own understanding, but trust the Lord and submit to His Word.
Kevin Walker