If you’re like me, you probably bump into a certain “gap” in your life from time to time … perhaps more often than we like to admit. It’s the gap between what I EXPECT God to do and what He’s ACTUALLY doing.
I call it my “Trust God Gap.”
My Trust God Gap shows up when I ask myself, “What does it mean to trust God in this area of my life?” — This representing whatever I’m struggling to trust God with at that particular moment.
The Trust God Gap looks different for all of us. And if you’re trying to figure out what your Trust God Gap is, just answer this question: What does it mean to trust God in ____________? Whatever you put in the blank is the label (or name) on your Trust God Gap.
You might have answered the question like this:
What does it mean to trust God with my relationships?
What does it mean to trust God with my job?
What does it mean to trust God when someone mistreats me?
What does it mean to trust God when somebody lies to me?
What does it mean to trust God with my money?
What does it mean to trust God with my time?
What does it mean to trust God with a really big decision I have to make?
I don’t know what you put in your blank, but the good news is that God provides direction to our question. Proverbs 3:5-7 says,
“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. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.”
So what is Solomon saying in these three simple verses? Let’s unpack it.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart.
The word “trust” means to lie helpless, face down. It’s actually a picture of a servant who is waiting for his master’s command so that he can respond in full obedience. In other words, the focus of trust is submission. Solomon’s advice is: Submit your heart in full obedience to God.
Lean not on your own understanding.
To lean is to prop yourself up against something. According to Solomon, man’s wisdom (or understanding) cannot support the weight of our lives, challenges or decisions. God’s wisdom, on the other hand, is like a firm tree with deep roots, able to support the weight of our lives as we lean against Him in full trust. Man’s wisdom is like a piece of balsa wood. It’s simply too flimsy to prop up our lives.
In all your ways acknowledge Him.
When Solomon says to “acknowledge Him,” he’s not telling us to give God his hour on Sunday mornings or to say “grace” over our dinner. God’s not looking for a wink of the eye or a tip of the hat. Instead, God wants us to invite Him into every area of our lives. Acknowledgement is an act of recognizing God’s full Lordship in our lives.
