Plea for Grace August 29, 2022

Proverbs 3:5-7 ESV - 
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 
6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. 
7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.

Sometimes a passage of Scripture becomes so familiar that we forget the truth and admonitions within. I have been thinking much of this particular passage today . . .

Trusting in the Lord with all my heart means that I don’t have an escape plan for when God doesn’t come through when I want and how I want. I know that sounds crass, but the words can be sanitized and rationalized and the motive is still the same. I must trust that God’s plan is good and He is sovereign whether the day is very “symptomatic” or whether I am feeling pretty well. I must trust God’s plan for my children and grandchildren and remember that I can’t control them even if imagined it were possible. I must trust God’s plan for this world and remember that I do not see all the pieces of the puzzle.

Solomon’s illustration for what not trusting in the Lord with all your heart is like — if your own understanding (what you can figure out or plan) were some rickety fence that could fall down at any minute if you put too much pressure on it. It could even look functional, but it can’t sustain any pressure.

Verse 6 is not quid pro quo — if you tell God he gets to be the boss then he is obligated to make your life easier. Acknowledging God is all my ways is to submit to God’s sovereignty in every area of life, including my health, my relationships, my location, etc. I must depend on God’s Word and God’s Spirit to counsel me in obeying Him in everything. (In case you are wondering, that is NOT a sit back and que sera, sera).

And then the summation — do not be wise in your own eyes. I am not smarter than God. I do not understand my circumstance or relationship better than He. I need God’s wisdom. I need His Word.

Psalm 111:10 ESV – 10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!

Turning away from evil means that I obey Him whether or not it is convenient or comfortable. I don’t have a right to sin against someone who sins against me. I don’t have a right to be ugly and critical just because I’m having a bad day. (You can complete your own list I am sure)

This passage is full of biblical perspective!

Pray for the Persecuted Church–OpenDoorsUSA

In Bhutan, all citizens born in the country are expected to be Buddhists. Anyone who converts to Christianity faces intense pressure to return to their former religion. And in the past year, violence has increased, causing it to rise on the World Watch List

Day 1: Pray with believers who have been rejected
by their families and communities to find new
communities that offer them family, love and hope.

Daily Wisdom
Psalm 29, 59, 89, 149
Proverbs 29