They found that they were able to trust the promise of the future.”
–Zachary McCrae (Christmas Under Siege)
“We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. It is not that we think we can do anything of lasting value by ourselves. Our only power and success come from God.”
–2 Corinthians 3:4-5 (NLT)
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God takes care of us in the ordinary events of life, as well as when adversity enters the picture. He not only directs our path, He protects our path. We see this as we continue studying Proverbs 3.
21 — My son, let them not depart from your eyes–keep sound wisdom and discretion;
22 — So they will be life to your soul and grace to your neck.
23 — Then you will walk safely in your way, and your foot will not stumble.
24 — When you lie down, you will not be afraid; yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.
25 — Do not be afraid of sudden terror, nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes;
26 — For the LORD will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught. (NKJV)
(ESV)
21 — My son, do not lose sight of these–keep sound wisdom and discretion,
22 — and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck.
23 — Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble.
24 — If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
Sound wisdom, something that is greatly lacking in our world today. It conveys the idea of “something stable,” something that will stand the storms of adversity. Going our own way is dangerous; to do our own thing is actually tempting God. It implies that we are greater, wiser, smarter, and more knowledgeable than He is. Rejecting God’s wisdom is perilous; therefore, we must not let selfish plans impede our progress. Yet at the same time, when we are directed by God we should be thinking His thoughts. F.B. Meyer said, “We are made in the image of God, our minds are able to appreciate His mind, and we think over again the thoughts of God.” We are to think His thoughts, remind ourselves of them, focus on them, and then think them again.
To think the thoughts of God we must know them. Life and grace come through studying the Word of God. We are to cleave unto the Lord–hang on to the promises of God; live in obedience to His Word. Again, to do this we must know His Word. We are reminded of this in the Book of Revelation, where John writes, “But hold fast what you have till I come.” (2:25, NKJV) Hold fast–to the truth of God’s Word; do not give in to any and every whim of doctrine that floats your way–and there are many.
I am reminded of a ship’s captain out on the open sea. He does not go by his feelings or by what he thinks is the right way. No, he consults a compass to keep him on course. His travel must always align with the compass with no deviation. He doesn’t consult it just once on the voyage, but is continually looking at it to make sure that he is on course. My uncle used to fly for a weather company, and they would fly into hurricanes to record data. He told me that when in the midst of the storm, the only thing they could trust was their instruments–the compass. Without that they would get lost in the swirling, howling winds.
This goes back to trust. I am so thankful that I was taught to simply trust in the Lord. It was something we did, not something we had to stop and think about. I often think that perhaps I take the protection and guidance of the Lord for granted, then I have to remind myself–no, that’s the way of life. We are to trust that God is with us, always and everywhere, then we trust that He will help us make good choices that are according to His will; and finally, we trust that even if we make a mistake, He will bring good from it.
Tomorrow, we will finish looking at this portion of Proverbs–hang on, and Trust in the Lord!