- Lesson 4 in the Connect360 unit “The Search for Wisdom: Words to Live By” focuses on Proverbs 3:5-7.
Trusting in God and not leaning on yourself is the first part, and verse 6 continues the wise saying. Not only must you trust God with your whole self instead of trusting your whole self, but you also must acknowledge God and his work in your life and the whole world. Be aware of God and look for him. You can see God’s activity in your life, because as you put your confidence in him, God will lay out his plans for you.
Do yourself a favor. Out loud, on your own or in a group, speak verses 5–6 as a whole. Repeat this if you need to. As you do this, what stands out? Perhaps say it again and allow yourself to emphasize different phrases. Words rise to the surface depending on how we emphasize them with our speaking and thinking. If you have trust issues, the word “trust” will probably stand out as a directive for you. If you are concerned about where you are going next, the last line of verse 6 will probably catch your attention.
Putting your full confidence in God is important. What follows your confidence in God is your confidence in his plan for you and your life. Making plans is part of what we humans get to do since God gave us free will. Even walking through a day whimsically is a plan; it is just not a detailed plan. We walk to and fro, living out a plan. But what does God have to say about our plans compared to his plans for us?
Proverbs 19:21 said it this way: “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Dwell on that for a minute. Inside your heart, the heart that you have full confidence in the Lord from, you develop many plans for you. There is nothing wrong with this. In fact, planning from the heart reveals the creative gifts God has given each person. But we need to accept one reality: God is the one who wins.
Surrender is an act of submission to God. As we make our many plans, we must be sure to submit them to God, just as a student submits an assignment to the teacher for approval. We can acknowledge God by deferring our plans to his. The good news is as we live with God and for God, his influence on our life is found in our plans, because we include him in the planning process. As big as God is and as sought after as he is, God enjoys your invitation to sit at the table and lay out plans for you.
Did I mention that God’s plans are good? When we acknowledge God and trust him by surrendering our plans to him, he takes what is crooked and makes it straight. The best efforts you give to planning your life will come off as a crooked path or an uneven road. When you submit those to God, his construction skills have a way of taking your feeble plans and straightening them.
The image of a path implies that there is a journey involved. There is no need for a path unless you are walking from one place to another. This image points to everyday living. As you live your life, rather than walk alone, acknowledge that God is walking with you. While walking and talking with God, offer your plans to him and trust them to his care. Be willing to take on his better plans for your life, even though they may look different from what you envisioned. You can be sure the path God lays out for you will be good.
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