MDB 52: Proverbsy 3

Prov 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths.

One of the sad things about the modern age is the way in which the book of Proverbs has faded from sight. In the nineteenth century, children learned it by heart, and it is common to find samplers of Victorian embroidery that contain a verse from this wonderful book. But the modern age finds it hard to grasp what Proverbs is all about. We live in a time when knowledge seems to be everywhere and is the key to success. To be a scientist, to have a university degree, to banish the ignorance that previous generations suffered from - this is what we think makes for a good life today. At the same time, we also live in a time when trust is in short supply. We cannot believe the government, we worry that we may be let down by our best friends and there is no telling who might come along to cheat us out of our hard-earned money. People used to ask if we would trust a used-car salesman, but now this scepticism has spread to almost everyone who is trying to sell us something.

In a world where people seem to know more but trust others less, we need to turn back to the wisdom of the Scriptures. God is the one who made us and he knows more about us that we shall ever discover for ourselves. He works in our lives at deep levels of which we have no understanding but which only he can straighten out. Very often we do not know our own minds, and cannot say why we are tempted to do certain things, or why strange thoughts come into our heads. The Apostle Paul knew what was right but could not do it, and it puzzled him, so what about us? Like Paul, we must be totally dedicated to the Lord in all that we do, and then we shall be taken along the right pathway in life, whether we know where we are headed or not.  When he is in charge, we are safe and understand more than the greatest human minds can ever fathom.