Pearls of Great Value

What does it mean to trust God? The psalmist says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding! Proverbs 3:5 Maybe it's as simple as this. Even when I don't understand the how or the why, to trust that God does know. Not only does He know every detail, but he will direct my path in a good way. 

Sin often taints our understanding, and thereby, our decisions end up being flawed and impulsive. But God's understanding is pure, and his wisdom is undefiled. Where we understand with faulty emotions, God sees and He knows with clarity the intentions of the heart. It's good to seek His face and gain His insight! He is all-knowing and all-powerful. His wisdom is beyond my finite understanding. Why not trust in Him above trusting in my intelligence? 

In all your ways acknowledge Him, the psalmist goes on, and He will make your path straight. Trusting someone means that I seek their advice, I trust they will give me honest feedback, and I'm not afraid to share my heart. I acknowledge them! I don't ignore their presence or their wisdom. Rather, it's very valuable to me. Likewise, we should trust and acknowledge God. His love and friendship are often one of the greatest undiscovered gifts in our lives. Think about it. How often do you stop throughout the day and acknowledge Him, or just pray these two words: "Help me" or invite Him into the moment? It's something I'm trying to do more and more, and I can say that eventually, it does become second nature. 

Another tidbit. The word acknowledge means not only to make notice of but also to admit the existence or truth of, and to express gratitude and appreciation for. So, we are to notice God in our day-to-day lives and admit in our hearts that He exists right here in the moment we are experiencing. It's true that He never leaves us or forsakes us, so let's acknowledge it and express our gratitude for His presence and His wisdom. 

Psalm 37:5 sums it up beautifully: Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him, and He will do it!

Obey. Trusting is one face of the coin. The other is obedience. If I trust the advice my friend gives me, I will also act upon it. To seek advice and then ignore it would be sheer stupidity on my part. What good was it to receive wisdom if I had zero intentions of following through? Likewise, God shares with us His wisdom, through his word, through wise council, and the Holy Spirit. But it's on us if we will heed and obey. His council is true and right. His directions are for my good and not for my failure. He seeks to build the kingdom of God with all its goodness in us and then through us. Let us make Him known for He is the good that the world around us needs. 

So. Trust and obey. Let's put on these boots and practise walking in them. It's a beautiful way to walk this Christian way. With every step, letting go of our goofy and letting God work in us. Stop the striving and start living!

Father God, I pray for hearts to be awakened to the reality of You. May we stop seeing You as an option and see You as Lord of our life. You are God, the One and only God, and we need You. Help us to be fully yielded to you every moment of every day in our lives. Jesus role modeled for us how to trust and obey, and said that He didn't come to do his own will but to do the will of the Father. We ask today Lord, that you will ignite in our hearts the desire to be fully Yours. We're tired of living on the fence! Teach us to live complety committed. In Jesus name, we pray, Amen