By Charles F. Stanley
When I was a teenager Proverbs 3:5-6 became my spiritual compass. Whenever I faced a difficult decision, I always turned to it for assurance. God etched itssimple but profound truth in my mind and heart. It continues to be a signpost along life’s road, ever pointing me to the bottom line for all decisions: trust and obey God. It is an eternal combination that always makes one a winner.
Why? Because God is trustworthy. He is dependable. He is sovereignly working everything together for his glory and our good.
His wisdom is given to those who look to him, lean on him, rely on him. The more we depend on our Father for instruction, strength, hope, and guidance, the more abundantly he confers on us his divine wisdom.
We cannot receive wisdom from God apart from a relationship with him. God is no interested in teaching his ways to those who have no desire to please him or follow him. He does yearn, however, to teach men and women who are bold enough to believe his promises and carry out his commands.
Trusting in the Lord means that we place our present and future circumstances in his hands, confident in his ability to orchestrate people and events to achieve his will. This whole-hearted trust brings a secure peace of mind and contentment. Putting our full emotional and volitional weight on the faithfulness of God activates his promises.
There is one catch, however. We must first admit our inadequacy: “Lean not on your own understanding.” That was Solomon’s attitude when he confessed, “But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties” (I Kings 3:7).
This is where many Christians falter. We can do many things quite well without an apparent need for God’s wisdom. We can repair items, invent machines, program computers, hike trails, and perform multitudes of other activities with very little sense of God’s participation.
Yet we have been created by God to work in a world he fashioned with his own hands. Our lives, our very breath, is in his hands; our minds and bodies are his gifts. His wisdom is displayed in everything, even when we fail to recognize him.
God has given you talents and skills. However, they are maximized for eternity when you trust him to direct and use them for his plans. The question is, Will you lean on your own understanding or depend on God?
The wise choice is obvious when we understand that God knows the end from the beginning and sustains all things in between. Trusting him is the wisest decision we can make. Depending on our frail discernment limits us to a narrow, finite control. Relying on God’s wisdom adds a supernatural dimension that cannot be matched by anything on earth.
