Now or Never: Daily Promise 5
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“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
Where do you go for direction when life doesn’t make sense? The challenge of faith is trusting God when I don’t understand. It’s so much easier to lean on my own understanding than to trust God. Faith says, “Even if I don’t understand, I will trust in You.” It’s human nature to say, “I’ll trust when I understand it.” The skeptic says, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” God says, “You won’t see it until you believe it.” Today’s promise offers us the secret of divine direction in our lives, even when life is confusing.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, is a great example of someone who determined to trust God even when she couldn’t possibly understand. Whoever heard of a virgin giving birth to a child, much less the Son of God! The Angel’s announcement to Mary before that first Christmas was as unbelievable as it was startling! The Angel told her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a Son, and you will name Him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His ancestor David. And He will reign over Israel forever; His Kingdom will never end!” Luke 1:30-33 (NLT)
How would you respond to such news, ladies? Talk about trusting when you don’t understand it! I love Mary’s response because it shows us the simple child-like faith God is looking for when He asks us to trust Him. Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” Luke 1:38 (NLT)
Mary knew there was nothing she could do to bring this to pass apart from trusting that what God said He would do, He will do, in His time and in His way! Sometimes, when I sense God is saying something to me about what He wants to do in my life, I try to figure out ways to help Him. Kind of like Abraham did when God promised him a son in his old age, and we all know how well that turned out. The Middle East has been in turmoil ever since! It’s hard to believe the impossible is possible until you consider how big and how great God really is! Nothing is impossible with God! Nothing is too difficult for Him! He delights in doing what we cannot do so that, at the end of the day, even the skeptics will have to give Him the credit!
What in your life are you trusting God for that you don’t understand? Delays often cause us to doubt and become dismayed. We wonder, Will God come through? Did I really hear from God? Take heart! The only response God is looking for is the one Mary gave. “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”
Mary’s response demonstrates what Proverbs 3:6 tells us we must do if we are to claim the promise of Divine direction – “in ALL your ways acknowledge Him….” Another translation says, “in all your ways SUBMIT to Him…” Mary simply submitted to God’s will.
What about you? Are you willing to submit to His will? To acknowledge Him in ALL your ways? Just let God be God as only God can be, and He will do what He said He would do. We can rest on His promises and in His power. This is the peace God offers that passes understanding. God is teaching us to walk by faith and not by sight, to trust Him when we don’t understand it.
Learn to lean on Him! How? Acknowledge Him in all your ways. He will never let you fall! Instead, He will make your paths straight.
For all that I must face today, Lord, I acknowledge my need for You and Your strength to get me through. Help me as I learn to lean on You, to trust in You with all my heart for every situation even when I don’t understand it. Thank you that You will never let me fall, and when I stumble, You are always there to pick me up.
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.