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⁵    Trust in the LORD with all your heart
     and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶    in all your ways acknowledge him,
     and he will direct your paths
                     Proverbs 3:5-6

“Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart”
“There is no panic in trust” Bertha Munro said. Trusting God means a panic-free life. I like that. But in order to be able to trust Him, I need to get to know Him better, and then I actually need to make the decision to give my situations to Him - I need to actually trust Him.  These thoughts were the subject of the first two blogs in this series.

Today, we switch gears a little to find that the action of trusting God has a partner. That partner is not leaning on your own understanding.

“Do Not Lean on Your Own Understanding”
The word “lean” means to support yourself - so don’t support yourself with your own understanding. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use your own understanding. God has given us intelligence and reasoning for a purpose - he wants us to use them. But He doesn’t want us to “lean” on them. He wants us to lean on Him.

Have you ever broken a leg or ankle or foot? You probably used a pair of crutches for while. You leaned on them and they supported you. Let it be the same with God. Lean on Him and let Him support you. Don’t support yourself with your own understanding.

In America we don’t like the word “crutch” - we admire independence. But independence is inconsistent with Christian maturity. As we mature as Christians, we learn to rely on, to support ourselves with, to trust God, not our own understanding.

If Noah had leaned on his own understanding, he wouldn’t have survived the flood. It had never rained before God told Noah to build a boat. The land had been watered from underground streams. When God told Noah He was going to cover the entire earth with a flood, He was telling Noah that He was going to do something He had never done before. Relying on his own understanding would have been disastrous for Noah. He couldn’t possible have had full understanding of the situation. The same is always true with us. We never know the whole picture. But God does.

In my last blog, I wrote that “God IS the most trustworthy person in all of creation.” That’s true. Let me change the emphasis for this lesson: God is the most trustworthy person IN all of creation. Yet, what’s even more important for this lesson, is that God is the most trustworthy person OUTSIDE of all creation. God knows it all. We don’t. If Noah had relied upon his own understanding, He would have drowned with the rest of the earth. Instead, he trusted in the One who created the earth and so when God said “build an ark”, he began to build an ark.

Notice that Noah’s trust of God lead to an action - he built the ark. Action demonstrates the trust we have. Trust isn’t trust if we don’t act upon it. Stay tuned for more on that in the next blog.

⁵    Trust in the LORD with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶    in all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will direct your paths
                    Proverbs 3:5-6

“There is no panic in trust” was our theme yesterday. It’s a good theme! No matter what our need is, God is capable and has the resources to meet that need. He is El-Shaddai, the God Who is Sufficient for the Needs of His People.

But knowing that and owning or apprehending it can be two very different things. Trust can be a difficult thing to “manufacture” if it’s not there already. How can we trust the Lord if we don’t trust Him already? Let me offer three suggestions.

Get to Know God Better

May I first suggest that we get to know God better? We trust the most those we know the best. I’ve known my husband for thirty years - I trust him implicitly. I’ve known my best friend for a dozen or so years. I trust her a lot. I know my neighbor down the street…well, just in passing. I mean no offense to her, but I don’t trust her very much. She may be the most trustworthy person on the planet, but I don’t know her well enough to trust her. God IS the most trustworthy person in all of creation. Yet if you don’t know Him, you probably don’t trust Him.

Get to know Him. Read about Him and how He protected, lead and provided for the Israelites and the New Testament Christians. Talk to others who know Him and ask how He has been faithful to meet their needs. Pray, not just with a laundry list of your needs, but with times of listening and just “being” with God. You can’t trust someone you don’t know. Get to know Him.

Decide to Trust Him

We’ll never trust God in an area in our lives until we decide to trust Him with that area. Yes, this sounds pretty bonehead, but it’s quite true. Often I find that when I am worrying over an issue, it’s something I’ve never actually made a decision to give to God. I’ve never said “Lord, I trust you with ________________.” Instead, I’ve just worried the issue. Or I’ve made a half-hearted commitment to trust Him, saying “Lord, will you take this?” and then just twenty minutes later when I don’t see a change saying (subconsciously if not consciously) “I better help God out by taking this issue back and doing something about it.”

A friend had a great illustration that helps with this. It’s based on 1 Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” For you non-fishermen, casting is throwing your fishing line into the water. In some kinds of fishing, you cast your line into the water with an overhand throwing type motion. Then you sit and watch it, waiting for the fish to take the bait and jiggle the line. In other kinds of fishing you continually cast your line, then reel it back in, cast it out and reel it back in. The movement of the line catches the attention of the fish and the jump on it. When we trust God, we cast our line (worries) out into the water…and then we cut the line. Don’t reel them back in. Don’t even sit there watching the line for any movement. Cut the line and walk away from it.

The sign language sign for trust is to grab the air in front of you with both hands and pull it to your chest. That means trust. Notice the difference between casting your worries - throwing them away from you - and trusting God - capturing Him and bringing Him close. We are to throw our worries to God and hold Him close.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart.” It is possible. It is worth pursuing. Do it today. Pick one area and decide to trust Him. I am fully confident that He will prove Himself to be trustworthy.

In my next blog, we’ll learn about the partner to trusting God…see you then!

⁵    Trust in the LORD with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶    in all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will direct your paths.
                               Proverbs 3:5-6

There has been much happening over the past couple of weeks that might tempt us to fear. Stock market and financial institutions failing. Embassy and hotel bombings aimed at US interests. These events can make it feel like the world as we know it is falling apart around us. I bet there are some situations in your personal life that tempt you to fear as well. Perhaps your marriage is on rocky ground or someone you love is going through a health crisis. Maybe you have a big decision to make.

If any of those things are impacting your life, this verse is for you! Over the next few days, we’re going to look at each phrase of the verse. It’s a well known Scripture, but you’ll find that there’s much more to it than meets the eye. Let’s get started.

“There is No Panic in Trust”
I love what Bertha Munro said: “There is no panic in trust.” It can be easy for us to fall into a panic in our hearts and spirits. We wrack our brain to try to figure out what we should do to “fix” the situation. And when we can’t come up with something, our brain triggers a panic response. Unless we know that it’s not our responsibility to fix the situation. When we know that someone else who is capable and has all the necessary resources is handling it, that panic response doesn’t kick in.

Let me give you an example. Let’s say the company you work for has just decided to have a huge anniversary celebration next month. It’ll be a great time, with music, games and celebrations. For those who don’t like such frivolity, they want to include a quieter jazz room where people can mingle or just sit and visit with friends. Sounds great…except that planning hasn’t started because the decision to have the party was just made…A location has been reserved for three weeks from today. Trust me, if you’re the person assigned to plan the party, you’ll be tempted to panic! If you’re one of the people who simply gets to attend the party and enjoy the food, dancing and socializing, you’re looking forward to it. No panic required because you’re not responsible for making the event happen.

When we entrust our lives to the Lord, it isn’t our responsibility to make things happen - God has already said “don’t worry, I’ll handle it.” That doesn’t mean we don’t have responsibility to live diligent lives of work and servanthood, but it does mean we trust God to provide the necessary resources and enable us to accomplish the things He’ll direct us.

But my 401K is dwindling…Trust Me. I own the cattle on a thousand hills. I am Jehovah-Jireh, your Provider.

But the doctor says my test results…Trust Me. I knit you together in your mother’s womb. I am Jehovah-Raphe, the Lord who heals.

But I’m lost and it’s dark all around me and I don’t know which way to go…Trust Me. I will lead you in the way you should go. I am Jehovah-Rohi, the Lord your shepherd.

But I’m scared…Trust me. I am Jehovah-Shalom, the Lord your Peace.

But I am unworthy, how can you…Trust me. No, you are not worthy, but I have made you worthy. I am Jehovah-Tsidkenu, the Lord your righteousness. I am also Jehovah-Mekaddishkem, the Lord your Sanctifier. I have set you apart for a purpose.

Trust me. I am El-Shaddai, the God Who is Sufficient for the Needs of His People. Trust me and you become my people.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart.” Make a decision today to trust God with that situation that has you most likely to panic. Let His peace will replace your panic.

Tune in tomorrow for more about what it means to trust God and how to do it.

Yesterday I blogged about how our dog, Sweetie, “presents” herself to my husband, Phil, several times a day looking for love and attention.

On the first Sunday of every month, Phil & I conduct a church service for the residents of a nursing home. We always take Sweetie with us. We officially proclaim it to be “Bring Your Dog to Church Sunday.” The residents love it.

Today, while Phil was leading the singing of some familiar hymns, Sweetie got up from lying near my chair and sat in front of me, looking up at me expectantly. I thought “Isn’t she cute, presenting herself for attention.”

A few minutes, Phil read one of the Scripture readings, Philippians 4:4-9. Verse struck me:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Present your requests to God. God wants me to be very much like Sweetie - coming frequently into His presence, sharing affection with Him, letting Him shower me with love, or even having Him show me the right way to do things. Yes, this verse is about bringing our requests to Him, but we can’t present our requests to Him without first presenting ourselves to Him.

I guess now I have two things to work on this week…paying more attention to Phil and frequently “presenting” myself to the Lord for fellowship and to express my needs. Are you up for joining me in the challenge?

 Sometimes the simplest verse strikes me and brings me peace. I was reading my Bible tonight. I read the last couple of chapters of Esther and wanted to continue to read. I am slowly reading through Psalms, so I turned to Psalm 143, where my bookmark was. Verse 10 struck me:

Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
May your gracious Spirit lead me forward
on a firm footing.

David, under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, describes God’s Spirit as gracious - full of grace. The Holy Spirit isn’t angry or critical or cruel. He is full of grace. He’s gracious. The word that’s used also means good, beautiful, kindly, and pleasant. That’s God’s Holy Spirit. That’s who I want leading me! That’s who I can trust to lead me forward (forward! That means my life isn’t stagnant or going backwards. Praise God, because sometimes it doesn’t feel that way) on a firm footing (I won’t stumble - thank You, Lord).

That’s the kind of God I want to make my own. Teach me to do Your will, Lord, for you are my God!

 Have you ever wondered what your purpose is? The shorter version of the Westminster Catechism asks the question “What is the chief end of man?” In other words “Why were we created?” Fortunately, the Catechism also answers the question – we were created to “glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Sounds pretty good to me!

Of course the answer begs another question or two: How do we glorify God? How do we enjoy Him?

While books and books and books have been written on those subjects, may I suggest a simple approach? Actually, it’s not me, but the Apostle Paul making the suggestion. In our Bible study of 1 Thessalonians a few weeks ago, we came across Paul’s urging that we “live lives worthy of God” (2:12). The verse has stuck with me. Lord, I want to live a life worthy of You.

I’m not going to write books and books and books about the subject, but let me add just a few thoughts. Living a life worthy of God means first and foremost committing all we do to the Lord. Again, from the Apostle Paul: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31) In other words, involve God in ALL aspects of your life. Ask Him to join you at both work and play, when what you’re doing is easy and when it’s difficult. Keep up an ongoing conversation with Him as you live through each part of your day. Commit all that you do to God, not just those things you think He’s most interested in…because the truth is that He’s interested in ALL of it.

My second (and final) suggestion (for today anyway) is that having committed everything to Him, relax and enjoy it! Begin to think of your life as taking a long walk with your best friend. Sometimes you’re walking along the beach, other times climbing the steep mountains, but it’s still a walk with your best friend. If you’re have that ongoing conversation I discussed in the last paragraph, talk about the journey as you go along. He’ll reassure you that He knows the route and will get you to the destination safely!

(Wow, this last paragraph sure sounds like a suggestion I need to embrace more fully! I’m not there yet, but I’m working on it – I’m sure there will be another blog about that some time!)

So on your journey through life, let me encourage you to glorify God and enjoy Him always! Along the way, be sure to meet His son Jesus. He’s the One who ensures your “forever.” Be blessed, friends.

Have you ever wondered if you’re fulfilling your purpose? Most of us have at one time or another.

In Jeremiah 13, Jeremiah tells us about when the Lord told him to take the linen belt he was wearing and to hide it in a hole among the rocks at the Euphrates river. Later, God told him to dig up the belt. When he did so, it was (verse 7) “mildewed and falling apart” (NLT), “ruined” and “good for nothing” (NRSV). It was “completely useless” (NIV). God then gives the explanation of the prophetic object lesson:

The LORD says: This illustrates how I will rot away the pride of Judah and Jerusalem. These wicked people refuse to listen to me. They stubbornly follow their own desires and worship idols. Therefore, they will become like this linen belt-good for nothing! As a belt clings to a person’s waist, so I created Judah and Israel to cling to me,” says the LORD. “They were to be my people, my pride, my glory-an honor to my name. But they would not listen to me.”
Jeremiah 13:9-11 (NLT)

While this is a specific prophecy about the Israelites, God says that they were created to cling to Him. That they were created to cling to God isn’t impacted by the prophecy. It is a statement of truth. As Christians, we have also been created to cling to God.

Are you fulfilling your purpose? Are you clinging to God? Or is your pride or following your own desires and worshipping your own idols getting in the way? I know sometimes my priorities get a bit out of whack and I need to be reminded that I was created to cling to God.

Lord, help me to cling to you.

It’s wonderful finding Christians in the marketplace. For many years I felt a bit like Elijah - the only one left. That has changed considerably over the past decade, as more and more Christians are making their faith known on the job. Last week a business associate and friend, Jim Green, suggested I write a blog on prayer. We e-mailed back and forth, several times, and the end result is this collaborative effort.

Prayer is a powerful tool of the Christian in our daily walk and communion with the Lord. Without it we are disconnected from our true Source of life, strength, wisdom and power. If you are a new Christian, prayer is an excellent topic to study, after understanding that you are saved by God’s grace through your faith in Christ and his death on the cross.

Prayer is simply talking to God. And yet it is so much more than that. Through your daily conversations with Him, you have a tremendous opportunity to know Him better, and to make an impact on the world around you. John Wesley said “God does nothing except in response to prayer.” Do you see something wrong in the world around you? (And who doesn’t?) Don’t complain about it, pray about it. Complaining doesn’t change things, prayer changes things.

Often, though, it’s easy for our prayers to become too “me” focused. Jim remembers reading a small book on how to pray many years ago in which they suggested the following simple approach to pray.

PRAY, don’t yarp.

Yarp is “pray” spelled backwards and it is an illustration of how we can sometimes get things backwards in our prayer life.

Praise God with humility and reverence

Scripture teaches that God inhabits the praises of His people. (Psalms 22:3, NRSV & KJV) He lives in them. When you praise God, His presence comes to inhabit the very air in and around you.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
             Psalm 100:4-5 (NIV)

Repent with a contrite heart

Repentance means to turn away from. It is saying “God, I was wrong. I am sorry. Please forgive me.” And then, with God’s help, changing our ways. It doesn’t mean we immediately begin to do everything right (don’t we wish it were that easy!). But it does mean we continually bring our sins before God. 1 John says it well:

If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.
          1 John 1:8-10 (NLT)

Ask for others and their needs first

At the heart of Christianity is giving ourselves for others. Jesus is our supreme example, whose blood was poured out for us on the cross (Matthew 26:28). Paul, Jesus’ disciple, opened many of his letters with tremendous prayers for God’s people.

Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. I always pray for you, and I make my requests with a heart full of joy…
          Philippians 1:3-4 (NLT)

Yourself last

Don’t forget to pray for your own needs! They are precious to God. He has the number of hairs on your head numbered

You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, because the work of the Son brings glory to the Father. Yes, ask anything in my name, and I will do it!
          John 14:13-14 (NLT)

Always pray according to God’s will, by the power of the Holy Spirit, and in the name of Jesus.

PRAY, don’t yarp.

Always put God first, praising Him for who He is and what He’s done. Repent of sins you’ve committed. Ask for God to move on behalf of others, the for Yourself.

Always remember to pray.

 All this happened so they would follow His principles and obey His laws. Praise the LORD!  
          Psalm 105:45 (NLT)

Prior to this verse (i.e., the “all this” that the verse is referring to), is a recitation of the entire history of the Israelites. In other words, God is saying that all that had happened occurred so that they would follow God’s principles and obey His laws.

Do we operate from this mindset, thinking - knowing - that everything that happens to us is for the same purpose - to help us follow God’s principles and obey His laws? Or do we kick against things that are happening in our lives, resisting God’s constant nudging toward Christ-likeness? Perhaps we simply blame Satan for all the bad things that happen to us. Scripture clearly teaching that Satan seeks to defeat us, but it also clearly teaches that God is sovereign and that He allows difficulty into our lives to form and shape us into the image of Christ. That constant kneading, pushing and pulling is the very Hand of God shaping us into the piece of pottery He has designed us for. And sometimes (often times?) that kneading, pushing and pulling hurts.

Many years ago I shattered my elbow. My orthopedic surgeon said it looked like someone had taken a sledge hammer to it! It wasn’t a sledge hammer, it was a gymnasium floor. I had fallen while playing volleyball at a denominational retreat/conference. I had gone to be refreshed and strengthened in the Lord. Instead I got an extremely painful injury that took months of recovery time and yielded a lifetime of some disability. Satan? No, it was clearly God!

After sitting with my husband during my elbow surgery, a friend received a vision. As he drove home, he saw a picture of me in my hospital bed with a very large angel by my bedside stroking my injured arm. Wow. Wow!

For weeks I had tremendous pain in my arm, often shooting pains from just wiggling a little finger. But I frequently went back to that vision and imagined that the pains were caused by the angel massaging my arm so that I would some day be able to use it again. I knew the Lord was bringing healing. Three different doctors had told me I’d be lucky if I ever got 70% of the use of my arm back. After much prayer and therapy, not to mention an excellent surgeon, I have 95% use of my arm. For all intents and purposes I am able to use my arm to do all the things I need to do. I can’t move heavy tables and I have to make adjustments when I pull heavy luggage. Small prices to pay for the many lessons that came from the experience!

A couple of weeks ago I pulled my white car out of the garage , being very careful not to hit the side-view mirror against the door of the garage…and slammed it quite solidly into the rear side panel and bumper of our gray car. Again, I was in the process of doing a good thing - I was driving to church where I was bringing the morning message  – a message that I was absolutely certain was of God and for that very day. As I type this, our car is in the body shop having a large dent hammered out, a new bumper put on, and a new coat of paint slathered on to cover any evidence of damage. Were the car able to “feel” these things, I imagine it would be pretty painful. (As it is, it will only be painful to my wallet and the insurance company.)

My point is that God is at work in our lives all the time, and sometimes it hurts. Sometimes it hurts a lot. But He is still at work, so that we learn to follow Him more closely and have a greater impact on others. It’s time for us to imagine…no, it’s time for us to know that it is God working in us, hammering out the dents, massaging the broken areas. Let’s not resist God’s efforts to make us more like Christ. And let’s remember to look back at all that He has done in our lives - they happened so that we would follow His principles and obey His laws.

Praise the Lord!

 The last few times I’ve taken an antibiotic, it has done an excellent job of killing not only the bad guys in my body but also the good guys, leaving me with very serious cases of an intestinal virus that only one antibiotic kills and that not very easily. So my doctor and I have been trying to avoid putting me on any antibiotics for the last few years. Well, a CAT scan of my sinuses revealed that the sinus infection I’ve been fighting for months is winning and we decided that it’s time to risk the antibiotic again.

But this time I’m being proactive. Each time I take one of the antibiotics I also eat some probiotic cheese or yogurt. So three times a day as I take my prescribed pill, I am praying for the antibiotic to kill the bad guys. Shortly thereafter, I am praying as I eat my yogurt or cheese for the good cultures to grow strong within me. We’re almost two weeks into the regimen and so far the good guys are winning.

I know, I know — TMI. But the whole process has been a “live” illustration of Romans 7. There is a battle within me to follow God’s ways or my own ways. God’s ways are the “good” culture within me. My own ways, my sinful ways, are the nasty viruses that lead to sickness, hospitalization, and if not arrested, even death. The battle wages constantly, every second of every day, sometimes behind the scene, sometimes in a more “in-your-face” way. But always there’s a battle going on.

Paul put it this way:

“It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind. This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.” (Romans 7:21-23)

When the bad virus within my body takes control, I become a slave to it. My movements and activities are limited until the bad guys are brought under control again. It is the good guys within my body that bring the bad guys under control. When the bad guys grow in strength and number, I am down for the count. When the good guys grow in strength and number, health and life returns to my body.

Often, God uses the natural to give us insight into the spiritual. When I fill my spirit, mind and emotions with viruses, things that are not of God, I will reap the consequences of that unhealthy diet. The good that is within me is outnumbered and outgunned by the bad that I am feeding. When I fill my spirit, mind and emotions with the things of God, I build up the good within me.

With natural eyes, I can’t see the good and bad spiritual cells within my body. But then with natural eyes, I can’t see the good and bad physical cells that are within my body. But in both cases, they are there. Both the good and bad physical and spiritual cells are alive, ready to grow at the slightest feeding. Which will you choose? Lord, help me to choose life!

In Deuteronomy 28-30, Moses reminds the Israelites of the blessings God promises those who keep their covenant with Him and the curses that will follow those who step out from under the protection of God’s covenant.  In chapter 30, he concludes his discussion:

“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, that you and your descendants might live! Choose to love the LORD your God and to obey him and commit yourself to him, for he is your life.” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20a)

Lord, help me to choose life!