“Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all of your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.” - Proverbs 3:5-6
This beautiful and encouraging passage from the Proverbs can easily be considered one of the classics. It’s one of those verses that many people have memorized and recalled time after time for comfort and strength. Sometimes, though, we tend to neglect these “classic” verses and deny them any more power and prominence than just quick reminders in a bind. How easily we forget that these words are the actual Word of God, thereby carrying with them the very power and authority of God. How easily we take these classic, powerful passages of Scripture, and deny them the time and meditation they deserve, to our own detriment.
Life in Africa is very different from life “in the west”. In the U.S., and my home State of California in particular, if you’re hungry then you “nuke” something in the microwave or buy something from a drive-thru or restaurant. In either case you simply push a button, make a phone call, or swipe a card. Then... BAM! Hunger satisfied. Even for those of you who still know how to cook a meal and might even enjoy doing so, most of you plug in a food processor, mixer, grill or oven. In the end, the labor required is relatively minimal.
Personally, I think these modern conveniences are terrific! I only bring them up as a contrast to the rest of the world, and Tanzania in particular. In a land where eating requires months of foresight and hard labor for the average person, the words “trust in the Lord” begin to carry much more weight. I know my grandfather can still remember the long, hard hours of labor that went into raising crops in North Dakota in the 1930s, so he and others like him may be able to grasp this quicker. But for so many of us, myself included, the idea of trusting in the Lord gets mistakingly relegated to a position of “for emergency use only”. How tragic!
I’m reminded of just how tragic this is when I daily see my brothers and sisters in Tanzania trusting in the Lord for their very existence - for the seed to plant, the physical strength to plant the seed, good soil to plant it in, good rains to water it, good growth and a healthy harvest. And all the while they’re trusting in the Lord for protection from malaria and other common and deadly diseases and the means to get medication should they get one. I don’t think I’ve had even one single conversation with a brother or sister that didn’t involve them telling me how they were trusting in the Lord for this thing or that. “We’re trusting the Lord to provide for our food,” pastor Hassan has told me many times. “My youngest boy has malaria and we’re trusting the Lord for his healing,” on another occasion. “I’m trusting the Lord to take care of my wife and children in our village in Congo while I’m here studying the Bible,” Bahati has told me.
Do we really trust in the Lord with all of our hearts any more, and in nothing else? Do we trust in our jobs and paychecks? Because we’ve all seen those come and go and should know better. Do we trust in the dollar? It’s worth less and less every day! Do we trust in science and doctors? But He is the Great Physician! Having a job and an income and good doctors and great scientific advances are all terrific things, but are we trusting in them, or in HIM?
Just as important as the question of trust, is the question of “acknowledging” Him. The word truly means “to know” Him. That is, to be intimate with Him in knowledge and obedience. In everything we do we are to draw upon our intimacy with Him and think of Him and His will. This will direct our path. When we truly know Him and are intimate with Him, we can trust Him, and we will go where He leads and guides.
For so many it is so easy to trust in the means (the jobs, the restaurants, the money, the doctors, etc.) and not in the Source behind all means. For my brothers and sisters in Tanzania, it’s easier to trust in the Source because there are no means to trust in other than Him. But for all of us, regardless of our location, our culture, or our physical situation, the most difficult thing seems to be the “acknowledging”. Are you intimate with Him and leaning on that intimate knowledge of Him “in all of your ways”? When a need or decision arises do you immediately think of the book, pastor, friend, or episode of Oprah that will help? Or do you acknowledge the Lord, drawing upon your intimate knowledge of Him, trusting in Him, obeying Him, and having your path directed by Him? When you cannot see and understand what’s going on do you put on the glasses of cynicism, sarcasm, distrust, and hopelessness? Or do you acknowledge Him and put on the paradigm of Christ’s Word?
I’m learning from my brothers and sisters in Africa that I sometimes forget how to trust in the Lord with all of my heart. And as I meditate upon this powerful passage, the Lord has shown me that I’ve forgotten how to acknowledge Him in all my ways. May we all take the time to chew on the meat of His Word and examine ourselves in this vital area. May we slow down and think about what/who we are truly trusting, and if we are looking to Him and our intimate relationship with Him in ALL of our ways.
May the Lord bless us all and empower us by His Spirit and Word as we grow in this area.
Life in Africa is very different from life “in the west”. In the U.S., and my home State of California in particular, if you’re hungry then you “nuke” something in the microwave or buy something from a drive-thru or restaurant. In either case you simply push a button, make a phone call, or swipe a card. Then... BAM! Hunger satisfied. Even for those of you who still know how to cook a meal and might even enjoy doing so, most of you plug in a food processor, mixer, grill or oven. In the end, the labor required is relatively minimal.
Personally, I think these modern conveniences are terrific! I only bring them up as a contrast to the rest of the world, and Tanzania in particular. In a land where eating requires months of foresight and hard labor for the average person, the words “trust in the Lord” begin to carry much more weight. I know my grandfather can still remember the long, hard hours of labor that went into raising crops in North Dakota in the 1930s, so he and others like him may be able to grasp this quicker. But for so many of us, myself included, the idea of trusting in the Lord gets mistakingly relegated to a position of “for emergency use only”. How tragic!
I’m reminded of just how tragic this is when I daily see my brothers and sisters in Tanzania trusting in the Lord for their very existence - for the seed to plant, the physical strength to plant the seed, good soil to plant it in, good rains to water it, good growth and a healthy harvest. And all the while they’re trusting in the Lord for protection from malaria and other common and deadly diseases and the means to get medication should they get one. I don’t think I’ve had even one single conversation with a brother or sister that didn’t involve them telling me how they were trusting in the Lord for this thing or that. “We’re trusting the Lord to provide for our food,” pastor Hassan has told me many times. “My youngest boy has malaria and we’re trusting the Lord for his healing,” on another occasion. “I’m trusting the Lord to take care of my wife and children in our village in Congo while I’m here studying the Bible,” Bahati has told me.
Do we really trust in the Lord with all of our hearts any more, and in nothing else? Do we trust in our jobs and paychecks? Because we’ve all seen those come and go and should know better. Do we trust in the dollar? It’s worth less and less every day! Do we trust in science and doctors? But He is the Great Physician! Having a job and an income and good doctors and great scientific advances are all terrific things, but are we trusting in them, or in HIM?
Just as important as the question of trust, is the question of “acknowledging” Him. The word truly means “to know” Him. That is, to be intimate with Him in knowledge and obedience. In everything we do we are to draw upon our intimacy with Him and think of Him and His will. This will direct our path. When we truly know Him and are intimate with Him, we can trust Him, and we will go where He leads and guides.
For so many it is so easy to trust in the means (the jobs, the restaurants, the money, the doctors, etc.) and not in the Source behind all means. For my brothers and sisters in Tanzania, it’s easier to trust in the Source because there are no means to trust in other than Him. But for all of us, regardless of our location, our culture, or our physical situation, the most difficult thing seems to be the “acknowledging”. Are you intimate with Him and leaning on that intimate knowledge of Him “in all of your ways”? When a need or decision arises do you immediately think of the book, pastor, friend, or episode of Oprah that will help? Or do you acknowledge the Lord, drawing upon your intimate knowledge of Him, trusting in Him, obeying Him, and having your path directed by Him? When you cannot see and understand what’s going on do you put on the glasses of cynicism, sarcasm, distrust, and hopelessness? Or do you acknowledge Him and put on the paradigm of Christ’s Word?
I’m learning from my brothers and sisters in Africa that I sometimes forget how to trust in the Lord with all of my heart. And as I meditate upon this powerful passage, the Lord has shown me that I’ve forgotten how to acknowledge Him in all my ways. May we all take the time to chew on the meat of His Word and examine ourselves in this vital area. May we slow down and think about what/who we are truly trusting, and if we are looking to Him and our intimate relationship with Him in ALL of our ways.
May the Lord bless us all and empower us by His Spirit and Word as we grow in this area.
