LEANING ON GOD, NOT MYSELF

‘Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your path straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.’ – Proverbs 3:5-8

Proverbs 3:5 starts by saying, ‘Trust in the Lord.’ The word "trust" comes from the Hebrew word ‘batach’, which means to rely on, to put full confidence in, and to feel safe. In this case, we are called to put our full confidence in the LORD, to feel safe, and to rely on the LORD. It goes on to say, ‘with all your heart.’

The word "heart," derived from the Hebrew word "lev," goes beyond the physical organ. It involves the mind, feelings, will, and inner self. Thus, when it comes to trusting the LORD, it’s an all-in situation. It is not about trusting God half-heartedly, or one foot in, but putting all of your trust in God. The second part reads, ‘and lean not on our own understanding.’ To ‘lean’ basically means to support or rest fully on something.

The word ‘submit’ refers to yielding to a higher authority. To “make a path straight” is to make smooth, make right or to level. By putting it all together, Proverbs 3:5-6, in simple terms, rest all of your confidence in the LORD with all your heart (mind, thoughts, and inner being) and not depending on your own limited knowledge. In every part of your life, live in a constant relationship with God, and He will show you the way to go.

Proverbs chapter 3 describes how we ought to walk our journey of faith in God through trust, humility, and submitting to God’s will. The story of Abraham perfectly encompasses all these key elements that are crucial in the life of a believer. In Genesis 22, God tests Abraham by asking him to take his son, his only son – Isaac, whom he loved, and sacrifice him on a mountain that He’ll show him as a burnt sacrifice.

Abraham trusted the LORD completely. He did not ask questions or rely on his own understanding but chose to submit to God’s plan; he was all-in and felt safe in God’s plan. The thing that God asked Abraham to do would seem difficult if we were in Abraham’s shoes. Why do we often find it difficult to trust in God completely? I believe it because we choose to rely on our own understanding rather than God’s wisdom. The thing that pushes us into disobedience to God is that we think we know better. We rely on our own wisdom more than God’s wisdom.

Trusting God requires us to feel safe in His hands. Even when we go through the most difficult moments or seasons in life, He wants us to feel safe in Him. When Abraham heard what God wanted him to do, the following morning, he got up early and prepared for the journey. Why? Because he felt safe in God’s plan. He understood that God is good, and His plans are for our good, and not to harm us. And that wasn’t all, as they were climbing up the mountain, his son Isaac noticed there wasn’t any lamb, perhaps his father had forgotten to bring it.

Isaac asked, ‘Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?’ Abraham replied, ‘God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.’ – Genesis 22:8. It was God who called Abraham to the mountain and to offer a sacrifice, and he knew that ‘Whatever God asks you to do, and wherever He takes you, He always provides.’ This is true in our present time. God still speaks to us concerning His will, which He wants us to do. And when He does, we allow fear camouflaged in the ‘Buts’ and ‘What ifs’ to stop us from putting our faith into action, so we rely on our limited wisdom.

Looking at Abraham’s story, he demonstrated his faith in God by putting it into action. He humbly submitted to God’s plan and authority when he answered ‘Here, I am’ and in the end, God blessed him even more. Trust fuels faith into action.

Genesis 22 is a period of testing for Abraham. When God was testing Abraham, He was looking for crucial things that a believer needs to have. Does he trust the LORD? Does he fear the LORD? Is he humble and obedient? God was pleased to find all these traits in Abraham. He showed reverence and trust in the LORD. He also demonstrated humility and submitted to God’s authority. The blessing came when Abraham passed the test. Interestingly,  in Genesis 22, where Abraham shows his willingness to sacrifice his only son, it foreshadows the willingness of God to give up His Son, Jesus Christ.

This takes us back to Proverbs 3:7-8, ‘Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.’ It reminds us to trust in God’s wisdom; He knows the way better than we do. It discourages a self-reliant or self-confident attitude, that is, the negative attitude of wisdom that says, ‘I know what’s best for me, I don’t need God, I can do it by myself, ’ which always fails when God is not part of it. Trusting God goes along with reverence for God. When you trust and fear God, then you can shun what is evil in the eyes of God.

Trusting the LORD with all our hearts, leaning on His wisdom, and submitting to His authority in humility, results in blessings. Genesis 22 and Proverbs 3:5-8 encourage us to follow through with God’s plan. His plan always leads to something good in the end. As you continue to follow through God’s plan, it may get a little difficult somewhere in the middle, but that shouldn’t stop you from believing and trusting in God. Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 5:10, when we go through trying times, ‘After you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.’ God always has a greater plan for each one of us; our part to play is to lean on Him at all times and not on ourselves. After the test of faith, there's always the blessings that follows.