Trust in the Lord
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
It is always good to pause at the beginning of a new working week to ensure we are trusting the Lord. Our responsibilities can be considerable, and we can dive into them, trusting our judgements and understanding without reference to the Lord. We can do things on autopilot and feel we only need to trust the Lord in the significant steps we take or when things go wrong. I know, when I retrace my actions, I often find my trust in the Lord was inconsistent.
The Lord always intended for us to trust Him with all our hearts all the time. There is not one aspect of our lives He is not interested in and in which He cannot make His presence known. Our enjoyment of fellowship with the Lord requires our complete trust. We see this clearly in the Old Testament. God was with Joseph in Potiphar’s house and the prison. What Joseph learned from his adverse circumstances was that God was with him in his everyday life and prospered him. His experience equipped him to manage a great nation. Ruth learned to trust God on a farm and cheerfully undertook menial work to relieve the poverty she and Naomi were in. She became the great-grandmother of David. He worked every day as a shepherd, devoting himself to caring for his father’s sheep. He learned the Lord was his shepherd, he learned courage, and he learned to worship. God chose him to be the King of Israel. Daniel learned to trust God to provide his necessary daily food; God prepared him for the highest office.
Paul writes in Colossians 3: “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (v. 17) and “Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ” (vv. 23-24). Our trust in the Lord should be wholehearted and embrace every aspect of our lives. Even though we may have excellent skills, abilities and understanding, these are best used in humility and dependence upon the Lord. I have often discovered that the most capable people of God are the most gracious, lowly and self-effacing people.
If you go to Scone Palace in Scotland, you will find a mound with the following notice on it:
Moot Hill or Boot Hill. Site of the coronations of the Kings of Scotland and of Scottish Parliaments. Artificial mound created by earth brought in the boots of lords swearing loyalty to their King
I saw this sign many years ago. It reminded me of how each of us is to bring all that we have and are to the Saviour. We are to trust Him every day of our lives and enjoy His fellowship. It is our privilege to rest in His wisdom and to always acknowledge His greatness from worshipping hearts. He will guide and bless us in the paths He has chosen for us.
