OBSTACLES ARE FULL OF CHALLENGES - HAVE YOU NOTICED?
"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.
Have you experienced how difficult it is to trust God? Proverbs 3:5, 6 is a promise for us to claim. If we put all of our obstacles, struggles, decisions and human understanding into God's hands - He promises to direct our way. It is hard to relinquish the reigns of self into the hands of God. We want to believe we can take care of things ourselves.
What do you do when you are walking down a path in the woods and you come upon an obstacle or barrier? Do you turn around? Do you walk around the barrier? Do you step over it? Do you throw it out of your way or become nervous, scared and run the other way? God says, TRUST, LEAN, ACKNOWLEDGE, and then He directs your way. Do you find that calms your heart? Stop the fight - submit - yield to God and claim the promise of Prov. 3:5, 6.
Leaning has the sense of putting your whole weight on something, resting on and trusting in that person or thing. When we have an important decision to make, we often feel we can't trust anyone - not even God. However, God knows what is best for all of us. He is a better judge of what we want than even we are! We must trust him completely in every choice we make. We must not be wise in our own eyes. We should always be willing to listen to and be corrected by God's word and wise counselors. We must always bring our decisions to God in prayer - He will make your paths straight by both guiding and protecting you.
To receive God's guidance - we must acknowledge God in all our ways. This means turning every area of life over to him. What is important to you? In what areas have you acknowledged him? What is his advice? In many areas of your life you may already acknowledge God, but it is in the areas where you attempt to restrict or ignore his influence that will cause you grief. The stumbling blocks will always be out there every day - how quickly do you turn them over to God?
Do you understand the terms in this verse? TRUST has the idea of lying helplessly face down, NOT LEANING means relying on something or someone else rather than supporting yourself. ACKNOWLEDGE means to know God personally and be in fellowship with Him, and MAKE STRAIGHT means clear obstructions and enable one to go forward.
We must keep in mind that God is most interested in revealing himself in the decision-making process. He wants us to know him as the Guide rather than merely receiving right guidance from him. He wants us to know him supremely.
God can remove any barrier on our path. He can take obstacles and turn them into sharp sickles that make a path for spiritual growth and advancement. You are never chained to your circumstances as long as you keep in mind they are tools for genuine spiritual maturity.
It can be a rough road ahead for you but the view later on can be breath-taking. God is trustworthy. He is dependable. He goes ahead of you on the path and clears the way. His guidance bestows on us his divine wisdom. God has given you talents and skills. However, they are maximized for eternity when you trust him to direct and use them for his plans. The question is, will you lean on your own understanding or depend on God?
Wisdom is for the asking!
